Maryland Man Gets 15 Years for ISIS Plot

State of MD - A Maryland man is heading to prison for 15 years after trying to join ISIS and plotting an attack close to home.

U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson sentenced Michael Sam Teekaye Jr., 22, to 15 years behind bars followed by lifetime supervised release. The charge was attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Teekaye had revealed his plans to an undercover officer.

"Mr. Teekaye sought to support a foreign terrorist organization that has committed unspeakable acts of violence and took real-world steps to carry out a terrorist attack in Maryland," said U.S. Attorney Kelly O'Hayes for the District of Maryland. She credited the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and law enforcement partners for stopping the plan before anyone got hurt. "There is no margin for error when it comes to terrorism," she added.

FBI Baltimore Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul echoed that message. "Undoubtedly, lives were saved because law enforcement thwarted Teekaye's plan to join ISIS and murder Americans," Paul said.

Court documents show Teekaye had two plans. One was traveling overseas to fight for ISIS. The other, a backup plan, involved targeting Jewish people and Israel supporters here in the U.S.

Teekaye trained at a Maryland shooting range and tried to buy an assault rifle, though that purchase was denied due to his probation status. He later connected with an ISIS fighter overseas, received an e-Visa and airline tickets, and planned a flight out of BWI Airport.

FBI agents arrested Teekaye at the airport on October 14, 2024, right after he passed through security. He made threatening statements to agents during the arrest and assaulted one of them.

A search of his phone turned up searches for specific Jewish and Israeli individuals in Howard County, along with searches like "how to break into a home." A rabbi targeted in those searches shared a victim-impact statement and also spoke at sentencing.

Teekaye pleaded guilty in January 2026. Even after that plea, jail guards found homemade weapons, including a large knife, in his cell before sentencing.

U.S. Attorney O'Hayes commended the FBI Baltimore Field Office for its work on the case. She also praised the Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with the FBI's Newark and Richmond Field Offices and the New York Police Department, for their assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Hoffman prosecuted the case for the District of Maryland, with help from Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat of the Justice Department's Counterterrorism Section.