A 21-year-old man from Maryland, Michael Sam Teekaye Jr., has been arrested and charged with attempting to join ISIS-Somalia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced. Teekaye was apprehended at Baltimore-Washington International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Somalia via Turkey and Ethiopia, where he intended to join the terrorist group.
According to court documents, Teekaye had been in contact with a Somali ISIS fighter since early 2023 and was actively planning to join the group. His communications with the fighter revealed his intent to travel first to Turkey, then cross into Somalia, where he would fight alongside ISIS militants. If his plan to leave the U.S. failed, he expressed a willingness to carry out attacks on American soil, particularly targeting supporters of Israel.
The FBI began investigating Teekaye after he had been flagged for his extremist online activity and violent behavior since 2019, when, as a teenager, he threatened to decapitate a classmate. His criminal record includes an arrest for appearing at an elementary school with a large knife, wearing a mask, and declaring his intent to settle a conflict.
By October 2024, Teekaye had secured a visa and flight tickets and was ready to leave the U.S. to join ISIS-Somalia. Days before his planned departure, he sent an undercover FBI officer a photo of himself in a black mask, wielding a machete, with a caption proclaiming his extremist intentions. He was arrested without incident at the airport, although he reportedly kicked one of the arresting agents and declared that his jihadist ambitions would continue even if he were imprisoned for 20 years.
Teekaye’s case highlights the ongoing threat posed by ISIS-Somalia, a group that, despite having a relatively small number of fighters, plays a key role in ISIS’s global financial and logistical operations. Based in Puntland’s Golis Mountains, the faction has drawn attention from U.S. counterterrorism forces, with several airstrikes targeting its leadership in recent years. The group has been linked to other cases of U.S.-based individuals seeking to join or support ISIS abroad.
Teekaye faces federal charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, which could result in a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. His arrest underscores the persistent threat of domestic radicalization and the challenges law enforcement faces in preventing individuals from joining extremist groups.
