A Maryland man accused of planning attacks in the US against Jews and supporters of Israel has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation.
Michael Teekaye, 22, engaged in multiple conversations with an undercover officer (UCO) between March and April 2023, in which he said he wanted to travel to Africa to join ISIS as a fighter.
Teekaye also told the UCO his “plan B” was to carry out an attack in the US against Jews and People who support Israel. He said he had researched buildings close to him that support Israel and had thought about how to “gun down members or anyone involved.”
In mid-2024, he purchased ammunition and range time in Maryland, which he told a UCO was part of his “training” for ISIS, and he then tried to purchase a Kalashnikov assault rifle but was denied due to probation from a state criminal case.
Teekaye then told the UCO he had engaged with a Somali ISIS fighter and had made plans to travel to Somalia to join ISIS. He sent the UCO screenshots of his travel itinerary and the visas he needed for the trip.
On October 10, Teekaye sent the UCO a photo of himself in a black mask, armed with a large machete, captioned: “victory or shahada [martyrdom] … either you do it here or over there or both.”
The FBI arrest at BWI
The UCO asked Teekaye if he was “sure” he wanted to join ISIS, and he responded that he “was sure because he had done a lot of research,” and “they are the only group that has the most true and sincere intentions.”
He was arrested by FBI agents at BWI on October 14, 2024, and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and lifetime supervised release. His sentencing is scheduled for July 8, 2026, at 10 a.m (EST).
After his arrest, Teekaye said, “I’m just gonna get out in 20 years, and I’m just gonna do it here. Okay? It will never stop. Jihad will never stop. I’ll just do it here then, when I get out… You think 20 years is something? I’ll be like 40 when I get out, then I’ll just do it. I don’t care. It will never stop. Jihad will never stop. I’ll come, and I’ll kill your soldiers. I’ll kill you.”
Kelly Hayes, US attorney for the District of Maryland, explained that “Teekaye took real-world steps to carry out a terrorist attack in Maryland, including attempting to purchase an assault rifle and researching locations where he could kill Jews and supporters of Israel.”
This comes shortly after an FBI report in August 2025 revealed that 70% of religion-based hate crimes in the US in 2024 were targeting Jews. The report showed 1,938 anti-Jewish hate crimes had been committed, the highest number since the FBI began collecting data in 1991.