Federal authorities arrested Montclair residents Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel and Milo Sedarat this week in a widening investigation tied to ISIS-inspired activity that also produced arrests in Michigan and Washington, officials and court filings indicate.
Federal agents arrested Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, 19, at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday as he allegedly tried to fly to Turkey to reach Syria and join the Islamic State, according to the Associated Press and a federal complaint summarized by officials. He is charged with conspiring—and attempting—to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Authorities also arrested Milo Sedarat in Montclair; he is charged in a separate case with two counts of transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce, federal officials said.
In a video statement posted Nov. 6, Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said the complaint against Jimenez-Guzel and a Washington State co-defendant describes discussions of detailed travel plans, physical training, weapons including firearms and improvised explosive devices, and methods to avoid detection. The statement also referenced images of Jimenez-Guzel posing with a knife in front of an ISIS flag and messages in which he volunteered to commit beheadings, according to reporting by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sedarat’s complaint describes a pattern of antisemitic messages advocating violence and purchases consistent with preparation for an attack, including a knife and sword collection, tactical gear, and images of him practicing at a gun range, the Inquirer reported. ABC7 New York also reported that photos showed Sedarat holding a sword and a knife and cited messages in which he threatened to strap on a bomb and blow up a company’s headquarters.
The arrests in New Jersey are connected to a broader FBI probe centered on an alleged Halloween plot near Detroit. Earlier in the week, two Michigan men were charged with terrorism-related firearms offenses after investigators said they had scouted LGBTQ+ bars in Ferndale; a juvenile was also in federal custody, according to the AP and court records summarized by multiple outlets. On Thursday, prosecutors announced conspiracy charges against Saed Ali Mirreh, 19, of Kent, Washington, who is accused alongside Jimenez-Guzel of planning to travel to join ISIS, the AP reported.
Rowan University confirmed that Jimenez-Guzel, a Montclair native, enrolled there this fall; the school said the FBI had notified it of an investigation and that there was no threat to campus, the Inquirer reported.
Community leaders expressed alarm. Rabbi Yaacov Leaf of Chabad of Montclair called the episode “frightening” and said radical ideology can surface even in diverse suburbs, according to comments reported by the Daily Wire.
Both defendants remain in federal custody pending further proceedings. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
