By Naveen Athrappully
Contributing Writer
A man from Stockton was arrested on Wednesday and charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
Ammaad Akhtar, 33, has been communicating with a law enforcement-controlled individual online since February, according to the agency. In their conversations, Akhtar allegedly expressed support for ISIS and jihad, including a desire to travel overseas to fight for ISIS.
“In April 2025, during this investigation, Akhtar demonstrated a desire to provide support for ISIS and did so by providing financial funding on multiple occasions,” the DOJ said. “After a few payments, the law enforcement-controlled individual indicated that ISIS had procured several guns with the money Akhtar had sent. In his response, Akhtar said, ‘may Allah destroy our enemies’ and affirmed that he would send more money that same day.”
Akhtar also allegedly discussed carrying out violent attacks against a specific individual and at a populated event. He sought instructions on how to make a homemade explosive device and said he wanted to “die in the cause of Allah fighting the kuffar [infidels],” according to the agency.
On Monday, Akhtar met an undercover employee he thought was an ISIS member, providing the individual with $400, two guns, six magazines, clothing and binoculars, according to the DOJ. He also swore a pledge of loyalty to ISIS, the DOJ said.
Akhtar was arrested the next day. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.
According to the FBI website, ISIS particularly encourages its sympathizers to conduct attacks wherever they are located.
The terror outfit also encourages such people to travel to ISIS-controlled regions in Syria and Iraq to train and fight for the group, it said. In some cases, this message has “resonated with supporters in the United States and abroad,” the website states.
Earlier this month, officials took custody of another ISIS supporter who the DOJ said posed a threat to the United States.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, a Pakistani national living in Canada, was extradited to the United States on June 10. In communications with undercover law enforcement agents, Khan allegedly revealed that he planned to carry out a terrorist attack in America in support of ISIS, according to a June 10 statement from the DOJ.
Khan’s legal representatives declined to comment.
ISIS Threat to US
A March 2025 annual threat assessment published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned that the most aggressive branches of ISIS will “continue to seek to attack the West, including the United States.”
The groups are expected to use “online outreach and propaganda” to inspire the attacks. The report highlighted the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, influenced by ISIS propaganda, as an example of the terror group’s ability to influence such incidents in America.
The attack was carried out by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who rammed a pickup truck into a crowd. After stopping the truck, the driver came out of the vehicle and started shooting law enforcement officers.
He was eventually shot by officers and declared deceased on the scene. The attack left at least 15 people dead and injured more than 30.
U.S. agencies are taking action to curtail ISIS financing activities in a bid to contain the group.
On April 1, the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced an advisory aimed at helping financial institutions report suspicious activity linked to financing ISIS.
The advisory identified red flags that can aid in verifying such transactions.
“The threat from ISIS has evolved and changed over time, but its malicious intentions against the United States, its interests, and its allies have remained consistent,” FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki said in the advisory.
“As the terrorist organization looks for ways to take advantage of instability in Syria and elsewhere to grow and resurge, we look to financial institutions to remain vigilant in identifying ISIS funding streams and protecting the U.S. financial system from terrorist financing.”
