‘I WAS GOING TO GUN DOWN JEWS’: ISIS Supporter Sentenced

A Maryland man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years for targeting Jews and supporting ISIS after pleading guilty in January.

Michael Sam Teekaye, Jr., 22, was sentenced in federal court after being convicted of providing support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

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According to Teekaye, who revealed his plot to an undercover agent, he planned to join the Islamic State-Somalia Province, a fast-growing terrorist group in northern Somalia, where he hoped to become a “mujahid,” a fighter. He had already booked flights for a route that would have taken him from Maryland to London to Turkey to Ethiopia, and from there to Somalia, he told the agent. But if that didn’t work out, he would fall back on his alternative option: killing Jews in the United States, he said.

He had studied groups in his area that were pro-Israel or supported Israel and discovered which buildings were affiliated with those groups, with the intention to “gun down key members or anyone involved.”

Teekaye also told the agent that he bought a gun and ammunition and trained himself in the use of the firearm at a local gun range. He said that he failed in his attempt to purchase a Kalashnikov K-9 9mm assault rifle, which was denied because he had served probation for past unlawful conduct.

The would-be terrorist sent a photograph of himself to the undercover agent wearing a mask and brandishing a knife. He said he wanted to join IS to gain “victory.”

“You either do it here or there or both,” he added.

“He took real-world steps to carry out a terrorist attack in Maryland, including attempting to purchase an assault rifle and researching locations where he could kill Jews and supporters of Israel,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes in his announcement of the guilty plea.

Upon his arrest, Teekaye struggled with the officers and spat at them. His parting words were, “I’m just [going to] get out in 20 years and I’m just [going to] do it here … It will never stop. Jihad will never stop … You think 20 years is something? I’ll be like 40 when I get out; then I’ll just do it. I don’t care. It will never stop. Jihad will never stop.”

“I’ll come and I’ll kill your soldiers. I’ll kill you,” he said.

The 22-year-old vowed to try again after his release.