Maryland man sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS

A man from Maryland was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group. This was reported Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Michael Sam Teekaye Jr., 22, received a 15-year prison sentence, followed by lifetime supervised release, after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to authorities, Teekaye revealed his plans to travel to Africa to join ISIS as a fighter to an undercover agent and stated that, if he was unable to do so, he was considering carrying out an attack in the United States against Jewish people and those who support Israel.

According to court documents, between March and April 2023, Teekaye had several conversations with an undercover agent, to whom he said he had researched buildings linked to support for Israel and had considered how to "gun down key members or anyone involved."

The investigation also determined that between May and June 2024, he purchased ammunition and practice time at a shooting range in Severn, Md.—training he later described as part of his preparation. In July of that year, he attempted to purchase a 9-millimeter Kalashnikov K-9 rifle, but the sale was denied because he was on probation for a state criminal case.

Between August and October 2024, Teekaye informed the undercover agent that he had established contact with a Somali ISIS fighter to organize his trip to Somalia. According to the Department of Justice, he received an e-Visa for Ethiopia and airline tickets with an itinerary that called for departure on October 14 from the Baltimore/Washington International Airport to Istanbul, with a layover in London.

Four days before the trip, he sent a photograph of himself wearing a black mask and holding a machete, accompanied by the message: "Victory or shahada [martyrdom]… either you do it here or over there or both." He later confirmed to the agent that he remained determined to join ISIS.

On Oct. 14, 2024, FBI agents arrested him at BWI Airport after he passed through security checkpoints. Following his arrest, authorities say Teekaye stated that he would continue his jihad once he was released and threatened to kill American agents and soldiers. During the arrest, he also kicked and spit at one of the federal agents.

A search of his cell phone, authorized by a court order, revealed multiple searches related to Jewish and Israeli individuals and organizations in Howard County, Md., as well as online queries about how to break into a home and how to escape after committing a murder. A rabbi who was among the people searched for presented a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing.