The FBI arrested three men Friday, including a former U.S. Navy sailor, for allegedly conspiring to support ISIS, including providing money they believed would be used in a plot to kill U.S. service members overseas, according to a Department of Justice statement. 

The suspects, arrested in operations conducted in Kansas City, Kansas; San Diego; and Sacramento, California, were identified as Bereen Dzayee, 25; Bisaam Ghafoor, 21; and Elias Shamsaldeen, 21. According to NBC 7, Dzayee served in the U.S. Navy until 2024.

The three are accused of collectively providing more than $2,000 to a person they believed to be affiliated with ISIS and discussing plans to support the group through personnel, services and money.

Prosecutors allege that from February 2025 to about June 2026, the men communicated through Discord chats, voice calls and other messaging platforms with someone they believed to be an ISIS member. 

During those communications, they allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader and participated in online groups promoting extremist violence.

As detailed in the complaint, in various messaging exchanges, Ghafoor exclaimed it would be “sick” if his name could be written on the drone used in an attack on Americans. Dzayee suggested that targets of drones should include U.S. Special Forces.

In other exchanges, Shamsaldeen expressed a desire to stab and injure a U.S. servicemember. Ghafoor said he has always wanted to kill a female soldier by beheading, and added, “I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans.”

Investigators say the conversations also included discussion of traveling abroad to join ISIS.

The FBI has not released additional details about the investigation, but said the arrests were the result of a multi-state counterterrorism operation involving field offices in Kansas City, San Diego, Sacramento, Newark and Richmond.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrests disrupted what he described as an active terror plot.

“This FBI stopped them cold,” Patel said. “The success of this op shows once again this FBI’s continued record of stopping terrorist attacks before they happen, simply the best way to defend the homeland — and shows we’ll stop at nothing to defend Americans from those who seek to do us harm.”