A 21-year-old Texas man was charged with international terrorism after he provided bomb components and money to people he believed were acting on behalf of a designated foreign terrorist organization, authorities announced Monday.
John Michael Garza Jr. of Midlothian, near Dallas, was arrested after he brought various bomb-making materials to a meeting on Dec. 22 and gave them to an individual he believed was an ISIS "brother," the Justice Department said.
He was charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
"The @FBI and our partners have arrested a 21-year-old alleged ISIS sympathizer in Texas following a terrorism investigation into attempts to provide bomb-making components and financial support to a designated foreign terrorist organization," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X. "The subject allegedly shared ISIS propaganda, sent cryptocurrency believing it would fund terrorist activity, and attempted to deliver materials intended for explosive devices.
"This is radical Islamic terrorism, and it was identified and stopped. Great work by our FBI teams @FBIDallas and great law enforcement partners."
In October, an undercover New York City Police Department employee noticed Garza's social media account that followed several other pro-ISIS accounts and wrote a comment on a pro-ISIS post, authorities said.
Garza told the officer he supported the ISIS ideology and sent the officer small amounts of cryptocurrency, believing the money would support ISIS causes, including the purchase of firearms and other materials, authorities said.
The undercover agent said Garza told him of plans to buy materials to make explosives and said he would buy the ingredients, authorities said.
At the meeting, Garza handed the undercover officer several explosive components, explaining how to mix the ingredients and surround them with nails, and he offered to send the undercover agent an instructional bomb-building video, authorities said.
Garza was arrested as he left the meeting. If convicted, Garza faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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