Michigan man charged with attempting to attack military base on behalf of ISIS

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday that a former member of the Michigan Army National Guard was arrested after he allegedly plotted to shoot up a U.S. military site to support the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, faces charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count if convicted.

Authorities noted that Said planned a mass shooting to take place Tuesday at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Mich., on behalf of ISIS.

"This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS," Sue J. Bai, head of the DOJ's National Security Division, said in a statement. "Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost."

Authorities discovered videos in which Said allegedly pledged loyalty to ISIS.

The former guardsman is accused of giving two undercover officers armor-piercing ammunition, as well as details about how to enter the Detroit-area facility and which building to target, according to the DOJ. He also is accused of using a drone to survey the location and instructing the covert officers how to make Molotov cocktails for the attack.

Said was arrested after he launched his drone near the TACOM site on the day he told the officers the plot would be carried out, the DOJ said.

"The arrest of this former soldier is a sobering reminder of the importance of our counterintelligence efforts to identify and disrupt those who would seek to harm our nation," Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command, said in a statement.