A Maryland man has been taken into custody on charges that he attempted to lend material aid to the Islamic State, a known global terror entity. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland outlined the charges against 21-year-old Michael Sam Teekaye, Jr. of Hanover, who was apprehended just before boarding an international flight at Baltimore Washington International Airport.
Teekaye, detained since Monday, is accused of plotting to join and fight alongside ISIS, a plan that reportedly evolved to include a potential assault on U.S. soil. According to the affidavit, Teekaye bought ammunition and practiced at a shooting range in a perceived effort to train for such attacks. He even attempted to purchase a firearm but was thwarted due to his probation status from a separate legal matter. The case, announced by official sources, revealed Teekaye's intensive communications with undercover agents and an ISIS affiliate in Somalia.
Through a series of interactions, Teekaye detailed his plans to travel to Somalia via Turkey and Ethiopia. The authorities stated that he had obtained travel tickets and an Ethiopian e-Visa, both believed to facilitate his journey to join ISIS ranks. Just days before his capture, Teekaye sent a provocative photo to an undercover officer, portraying himself as an islamophobe slayer, according to the complaint.
Upon arrest, Teekaye's defiance was unabashed, kicking one agent and exclaiming his unyielding commitment to jihad. "I’ll just get out in 20 years and do something here. Okay? Okay? You will never stop me. Jihad will never stop", he stated, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office press release, with a chilling resolve that underscored the allegations against him. A conviction could result in a 20-year federal prison term.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron lauded the FBI's Baltimore Field Office for its meticulous investigative work. Barron also extended thanks to several FBI Field Offices, the New York Police Department, Justice’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina Hoffman and P. Michael Cunningham.
