Federal prosecutors have charged two New Jersey teenagers in an alleged ISIS-linked radicalization case that authorities say included detailed online discussions about carrying out mass killings of Jews and targeting local pro-Israel gatherings.
According to a complaint unsealed Thursday, 19-year-old Milo Sedarat, who grew up in an affluent suburb and comes from a well-known artistic and academic family, is accused of repeatedly posting and exchanging violent antisemitic messages — including a claim that he wanted to “line up 500 Jews and execute them in front of their families.” Documents say he also described taking women as slaves and celebrated the idea of mass murder as a religious act.
“I’m the biggest anti-smite (sic) in America,” he wrote to an unidentified friend, according to a federal criminal complaint. And after widespread anti-Israel protests on college campuses broke out over the conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas terrorists, he allegedly wrote to the friend, “[b]ro everyone hates the Jews now…I hope a second holocaust happens to them.”
“Bro my moms Jewish friends r brainwashing her…Into being a Zionist,” Sedarat allegedly wrote to the friend in January, using shorthand. “I wanna kill her friends….I’m gonna stab them with my sword.”
“Lowkey say the state of Israel…Instead of Israel,” the friend, who is not identified in court documents, told him. “Cuz prophet Joseph is also Israel.”
In another conversation, the friend said he saw an Israeli protest nearby.
“I’m gonna drive into the protest and run over like 10 Jews,” came Sedarat’s alleged reply.
Sedarat claimed he was willing to get shot or go to prison if he could kill a rabbi on NY and argued that Hezbollah militants are “so lucky” because they launched “missles (sic)” at Israel.
“It’s not the same tho…Even a gun…I wanna kill them with [a s]word,” he allegedly wrote. “Look them in the eyes…As I take their women and stab them.”
Investigators say Sedarat regularly posed with swords and knives inside his family’s $1.2 million home and claimed online that he aspired to be “the biggest antisemite in America.” Prosecutors allege that the violent language was part of a wider pattern of communication linked to extremist ideology and ISIS support networks.
Second suspect arrested at Newark Airport
Also charged is Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, 19, a former Montclair High School football player and the son of a United Nations diplomat. Federal agents arrested him earlier this week at Newark Liberty International Airport, where prosecutors say he was preparing to fly to Turkey and then cross into Syria to join ISIS.
Court filings state that Jimenez-Guzel spoke about wanting to carry out a large-scale attack comparable to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and even volunteered to take part in ISIS beheading videos for propaganda purposes.
Community shock
Local Jewish leaders expressed alarm that such violent radicalization emerged in a community known for diversity, tolerance and progressive politics.
“It is frightening to learn that this level of hate was developing quietly in our suburban community,”
said Rabbi Yaacov Leaf of Chabad of Montclair.
Prosecutors: extremism does not respect geography or privilege
Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey emphasized that radicalization “can occur anywhere,” regardless of social class, education, or family background.
“We cannot assume that any community is immune from extremist influence,”
the office said, stressing that investigators are aggressively pursuing every lead.
Both defendants are charged federally and remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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