A young Navy veteran now stands accused of using cryptocurrency to help ISIS buy drones and rocket-propelled grenades to kill American troops overseas, raising hard questions about radicalization, military vetting, and how our justice system handles homegrown terror threats.[1][3]
Story Snapshot
- A 25-year-old former sailor allegedly plotted with two others to fund ISIS attacks on U.S. troops using crypto.[1][3]
- Prosecutors say the men pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed targeting U.S. Special Forces with drones and rocket-propelled grenades.[1][3]
- The case rests on chats, crypto attempts, and an FBI informant posing as an ISIS contact, not a completed attack.[1]
- Conservatives now face a double concern: real jihadist threats and the risk of government overreach in “material support” cases.[1][2]
Navy veteran tied to alleged ISIS drone and rocket plot
Federal prosecutors say former Navy sailor Bareen Dzayee, age 25, is one of three U.S. citizens charged with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State terrorist group, including funding a drone and rocket-propelled grenade attack on American troops overseas.[1][3] Court records indicate Dzayee served in the Navy from 2021 to 2024 as an enlisted sailor on the destroyer USS John S. McCain, then was arrested on June 5 alongside two other suspects after a lengthy investigation.[1]
According to the criminal complaint, Dzayee and co-defendants Bisaam Ghafoor and Elias Shamsaldeen allegedly sent more than $2,000 in what they believed was cryptocurrency support to a person they thought was an ISIS member.[1][3] Prosecutors say this money was intended to purchase drones and rocket-propelled grenades for an attack on U.S. forces, with Dzayee allegedly suggesting U.S. Special Forces as a potential target during conversations with the supposed ISIS contact.[1]
How chats, crypto, and an informant built the “material support” case
The Justice Department’s complaint describes a pattern familiar from other terrorism-financing prosecutions: encrypted chats, online radicalization, small-dollar transfers, and a government informant posing as a terrorist operative.[1][2][3] Investigators say the three men posted pro-ISIS content on social media, then moved to Discord chats, voice calls, and other platforms where they allegedly pledged “bayat,” or allegiance, to ISIS and its leader, while exploring ways to move money covertly.[1][3]
Prosecutors allege Dzayee and Ghafoor communicated with a “confidential human source” they believed was an active ISIS member, offering to send support through cryptocurrency to avoid detection.[1] The complaint says that, after the source raised the idea of buying drones to attack American military personnel overseas, the men worked through practical details of sending the funds, even as they voiced worries about getting caught and reportedly experimented with a cryptocurrency ATM.[1] Ultimately, most of the money allegedly flowed through Shamsaldeen using links provided by the source and an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation employee.[1]
Radicalization, betrayal, and the risk of overreach
For many conservatives, the notion that a former U.S. sailor would pledge allegiance to ISIS and help finance a plot targeting American troops feels like a deep betrayal of both uniform and country.[1][3] This case highlights the ongoing danger that radical jihadist ideology still poses, even years after ISIS lost its territorial “caliphate,” and underscores how online propaganda can worm its way into American homes despite billions spent on national security.[1][2][3]
#new A 25-year-old Navy sailor has been identified as one of the three US citizens who were arrested for plotting an Islamic t*rror attack against American service members. #califonia
Bereen Dzayee -25
Elias Shamsaldeen -21
Bisaam Ghafoor -21They are being federally charged… pic.twitter.com/k4mEniDEW6
— charlene ✝️✝️✝️ (@grad3361) June 8, 2026
At the same time, the filing shows how broad “material support” laws let the federal government move aggressively based on plans, chats, and attempted transfers, not completed attacks.[2] In other cases, like the Virginia man convicted of sending over $185,000 in cryptocurrency to ISIS-linked contacts in Syria, courts have upheld long sentences based on similar theories of support.[2] For readers concerned about government overreach, the reliance on informants, sealed evidence, and online rhetoric raises questions about where strong counterterrorism ends and expansive surveillance begins.[1][2]
Sources:
[1] Web – Former Navy Sailor Accused of Supporting ISIS Scheme to Kill American …
[2] Web – FBI arrests 3 men who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, funded …
[3] Web – Former Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Plotting to Attack Naval Station …
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