Maryland man pleads guilty to planning to join ISIS, attack Jews

Court documents detail Michael Sam Teekaye Jr.’s concrete actions to become a terrorist.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

A Maryland man pleaded guilty Friday to terrorism charges after making concrete plans to join ISIS in Somalia or attack Jewish and pro-Israel targets in the United States.

Michael Sam Teekaye Jr., 22, was arrested in October 2024 while trying to board a plane to Turkey en route to Somalia to join the Islamist extremist group.

He had been on the FBI’s radar since March 2023, when he began communicating about becoming an ISIS fighter with someone he believed was a terrorist who was in fact an undercover officer (UCO).

In July 2024, Teekaye attempted to purchase a Kalashnikov automatic assault rifle, but the sale was denied because he was on probation in a state criminal case.

He previously practiced shooting three times at a local range, which he described to the UCO as part of his “training.”

“Teekaye aspired to become an ISIS fighter to unleash attacks on the homeland,” said Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. “He 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.”

“Thanks to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, we stopped Teekaye before he could harm anyone,” said Hayes. “There is no margin for error when it comes to terrorism.”

According to his plea agreement, Teekaye admitted that killing local Jews was his “Plan B” if he couldn’t join ISIS abroad.

Between August and October 2024, Teekaye sent the UCO screenshots of his travel itinerary, including an e-visa to Ethiopia arranged by a Somali ISIS fighter, which would have allowed him to cross over into neighboring Somalia on foot.

On October 10, Teekaye sent the officer a photo of himself wearing a black mask and holding a large machete, writing, “Victory or shahada [martyrdom] … either you do it here or over there or both.”

The next day, when the officer asked him if he was “sure” he wanted to join ISIS, Teekaye replied that he had done “a lot of research” and “they are the only group that has the most true and sincere intentions.”

When arrested at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Oct. 14, Teekaye kicked and spat at an agent and said he would carry out attacks after his release.

“I’m just gonna get out in 20 years and I’m just gonna do it here. Okay?  Okay? It will never stop. Jihad will never stop…. 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.”

Teekaye faces up to 20 years in federal prison and lifetime supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 8.