President Trump’s Justice Department says it has charged a New Jersey man who allegedly wanted to support ISIS and discussed attacks on American targets.

Mohamed Sagha, 22, of Wayne, New Jersey, was charged by complaint on June 8, 2026, with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS.

He made his initial appearance in federal court the same day and was ordered detained.

The allegations are serious.

Prosecutors say Sagha went beyond abstract online talk. They allege he discussed a possible attack on a National Guard location or a Jewish place of worship.

DOJ also alleges he shared images and videos of both locations with a confidential human source and said they were near his residence in Wayne.

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The FBI highlighted the Newark case update after DOJ announced the charge:

The U.S. Department of Justice laid out the allegations and the law enforcement response this way:

A Passaic County man was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS).

Mohamed Sagha, 22, of Wayne, New Jersey was charged by complaint with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS.

He made his initial appearance today in federal court. He was ordered detained.

“As alleged, the defendant sought to support ISIS and expressed interest in violence directed at targets within the United States, including places of worship,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey.

“Those who seek to advance the objectives of foreign terrorist organizations should expect a swift and coordinated response from federal law enforcement. This Office will continue working relentlessly with our law enforcement partners to identify, disrupt, and prosecute individuals who support terrorism and threaten the safety of our communities.”

“The defendant allegedly wanted to attack targets in the United States in support of ISIS and its hateful ideology, but the FBI detected and put a stop to his violent plans,” said Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.

“This should be a stark reminder to the American people of the FBI’s resolve to pursue anyone who tries to harm Americans and provide material support to terrorist organizations, and we will work with our Justice Department partners to make sure they face justice.”

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From approximately December 2025 to June 2026, Sagha participated in one or more online chat groups wherein ISIS supporters discussed, among other things, potential attacks on targets within the United States, including places of worship.

In his discussions with the CHS, Sagha expressed an intent to assist one of the members of an ISIS-supporters online chat group with an attack on a place of worship.

He also told the CHS he was contemplating carrying out an attack of his own, possibly on a National Guard location or on a Jewish place of worship. He then shared images and/or videos of both locations with the CHS, and stated that they were near his residence in Wayne, New Jersey.

Sagha ultimately purchased a VPN, sent it to the CHS – whom he believed to be a member of a terrorist organization – and explained to the CHS how to use the VPN.

The count of attempt to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization has a maximum penalty of twenty years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of life of supervised release.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

That last line matters, and the case now has to move through court.

But what DOJ describes is the exact kind of homegrown threat federal agents are supposed to find before it becomes a body count.

Soldiers, worshippers, and local communities should not have to wait until after an attack to learn that someone was talking to ISIS supporters online.

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In this case, federal law enforcement says it was watching, and it moved first.

 

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