A man from California, arrested on suspicion of plotting an ISIS-related attack targeting special forces, is asserting through his lawyer that he is just an average individual wanting to be a civil engineer.
Elias Shamsardeen, who is 21 years old and hails from Porterville, California, was taken into custody alongside two co-defendants: Bisam Ghafoor, 21, from Leawood, Kansas, and Vereen Zayi, 25, who lives near San Diego in Lakeside. Their arrests followed a lengthy FBI inquiry into suspected extremist activities that lasted over a year.
According to a federal criminal complaint filed in Kansas, the trio allegedly pledged loyalty to ISIS and aimed to provide material support while also communicating with individuals believed to be jihadists.
Interestingly, investigators note that one of the men was actually serving as a confidential source for the FBI while working undercover.
Prosecutors claim the group engaged in discussions containing frequent mentions of violence and operational plans, including intentions to travel abroad to join ISIS and procure weapons such as drones, hand grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades to target U.S. Special Forces members.
In one of the conversations referenced in the complaint, Ghafoor reportedly asked the undercover source, “How many people are you going to kill?” He is also accused of expressing a wish to “kill 300 million Americans.”
The investigation reportedly began in May 2025, when a confidential source came across the group in an online forum.
As law enforcement traced communications, they believed the suspects were interacting with active ISIS contacts, and those discussions eventually escalated to declarations of loyalty and plans related to extremist violence.
Officials underscored the seriousness of the charges, which involve supporting a foreign terrorist organization and posing threats to U.S. military personnel.
Shamsardeen’s attorney, Peter Jones, who recently took on the case, asserted that he had limited conversations with his client but questioned the allegations based on what he has learned so far.
He pointed out that the 21-year-old just graduated from Porterville Community College and intended to transfer to Fresno State to pursue civil engineering studies.
“He doesn’t even have a criminal record,” Jones added.
If convicted of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization, all three defendants could face sentences of up to 20 years in federal prison.
