A 19-year-old Kent man was arrested and charged by the Department of Justice for allegedly supporting a terrorist organization, and an investigation showed that he participated in group chats with men who planned to commit an attack in Michigan.
According to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey court documents, on Nov. 4, Saed Ali Mirreh, 19, of Kent, was arrested for providing support to a group that included men who planned to commit a terroristic attack on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Mirreh is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and attempt to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Documents state that Mirreh was in group chats that included men who lived in Dearborn, Michigan, who were arrested on Oct. 31 and planned to commit a terroristic attack on behalf of ISIS. In the group chat with others planning to join ISIS, the group talked about being a small cell that will eventually have a commander when they reach the Middle East. Mirreh said he would handle the financial aspects of the operation and serve as the bookkeeper.
Documents state that the Michigan men bought multiple guns, large amounts of ammunition, practiced shooting at gun ranges and scouted possible attack locations, such as an LGBTQ+ friendly area in Ferndale, Michigan, and an amusement park in the Midwest. Two minors were also part of this investigation, but they are not named.
Mirreh sent pictures in the group chats of himself wearing an ISIS hat, videos of a gun, and told them they had to be ready to “unalive” people, according to documents. He also mentioned that he and the others took an oath, which documents state is most likely an oath of loyalty to ISIS.
Documents state that in 2023, when Mirreh was a minor, his Kent home was searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) because he was participating in pro-ISIS online chats, but he denied actually planning to join ISIS. In the chats, Mirreh discussed conducting attacks in the United States on behalf of ISIS. Documents state that he also potentially provided support to a minor in Canada who was arrested in connection with terrorism charges.
On July 3, 2025, the FBI received additional information indicating that Mirreh continued to participate in online communications with pro-ISIS extremists regarding committing violent jihad. Documents state that communications from an Instagram account associated with Mirreh revealed that he was speaking with three known overseas ISIS supporters about martyrdom, violence against Jewish people, purchasing plane tickets to travel overseas and training at gun ranges.
On July 24, 2025, Mirreh then joined a group chat with Tomas-Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, a co-conspirator who had been chatting online with others about carrying out terroristic attacks and moving to the Middle East to fight for ISIS.
Documents state that after Mirreh’s co-conspirators were arrested in Dearborn, Michigan, on Oct. 31 for plans to commit violent Jihad, Jimenez-Guzel spoke to others who were part of the plans to move to the Middle East about how they needed to leave sooner because federal agents were looking for them now. Mirreh then booked travel to Istanbul, scheduled to depart earlier than a prior flight he had booked.
On Nov. 4, FBI personnel executed a search at Mirreh’s Kent home, and Mirreh was arrested. Documents state that Mirreh admitted that he planned to travel to Istanbul, but his final destination was Syria, where he planned to join ISIS as a fighter. Documents state that Mirreh then told officers that he, along with others, planned to travel to Syria as part of a plan that was developed over several months.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan reports that Mohmed Ali, Ayob Nasser and Majed Mahmoud, all of Dearborn, Michigan, were arrested Oct. 31 and charged with conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to receive and transfer, firearms and ammunition knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that the firearms and ammunition would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.
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A photo from a group chat of Mirreh. Screenshot from documents.
