California man pleads guilty to supporting ISIS after plotting attack on alleged IDF soldier

Akhtar pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge matters because the alleged conduct involved both support for ISIS and plans connected to violence. The complaint describes months of communications, preparation, and a personal handoff before his arrest.

Between February and June 2025, Akhtar told an FBI-controlled persona that he wanted to join ISIS and fight overseas. He discussed his firearms, a possible attack on a Jewish man he believed was an IDF soldier, and a homemade explosive attack. On June 23, he gave an undercover agent $400, two loaded guns, six magazines, and binoculars.

Akhtar was detained the next day. The Jewish man did not appear to be an IDF soldier, according to the investigation. Akhtar is scheduled for sentencing in February 2027 and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Under U.S. law, material support generally means providing tangible or intangible assistance to a designated foreign terrorist organization. It can include money, weapons, equipment, training, personnel, services, or expert advice. The law targets support because practical resources can strengthen an organization’s ability to operate or commit violence.

The article describes several forms of alleged support. Akhtar communicated about helping ISIS, wanted to fight with the group, and met an undercover agent he believed was affiliated with ISIS. At that meeting, he provided $400, two loaded guns, six magazines of ammunition, and binoculars.

A conviction does not require that the organization use the assistance in a completed attack. Here, the charge concerns an attempt to provide support. Akhtar pleaded guilty, and the article says he faces sentencing in February 2027. The maximum listed penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The handoff included both money and operational equipment. Akhtar gave the undercover agent $400 in cash, two loaded guns, six magazines of ammunition, and binoculars. Together, those items represented a concrete attempt to provide resources to someone he believed was connected to ISIS.

The meeting took place on June 23, 2025. Akhtar believed the undercover FBI agent was affiliated with ISIS. The article places the transfer after months of messages about joining ISIS, fighting overseas, firearms, attacks, and explosives. The agent was part of the investigation rather than an actual ISIS representative.

Akhtar was detained the next day. The article does not state that any of the items were used in an attack. Instead, the transfer formed part of the conduct behind his guilty plea for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

After pleading guilty, Akhtar still faces sentencing by the court. The article states that the charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Those are maximum possible penalties, not a statement of the sentence he will ultimately receive.

The consequences follow his guilty plea to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The alleged conduct included communications supporting ISIS, plans involving violence, and a June 23 transfer of cash, weapons, ammunition, and binoculars to an undercover agent he believed was affiliated with ISIS.

Akhtar was detained on June 24, 2025, the day after the handoff. The article gives no final sentence or additional penalties. It says sentencing is scheduled for February 2027, so the court’s eventual punishment remains the next major legal development described.

An FBI controlled persona is a fake identity created and maintained by FBI agents for investigative purposes. It lets investigators communicate with a suspect while documenting what the suspect says or offers. The goal is to uncover planned conduct and gather evidence without exposing the investigation.

Akhtar began messaging what he believed was an ISIS member in February 2025. He discussed joining ISIS, fighting overseas, firearms, attacking a man he believed was an IDF soldier, and making explosives. On June 23, he met an undercover agent he believed was affiliated with ISIS and handed over cash, guns, ammunition, and binoculars.

The persona and undercover meeting were central to the investigation described. Akhtar was detained the next day and later pleaded guilty. The article makes clear that the supposed ISIS contact was actually connected to the FBI, not ISIS.

ISIS is the Islamic State, an organization the article identifies as a terrorist organization. The United States designates groups as terrorist organizations when they meet legal criteria involving terrorism or threats to U.S. national security. That designation carries legal consequences for people who knowingly provide the group with prohibited support.

In this case, Akhtar repeatedly praised ISIS terrorists and said he wanted to join the group. He discussed fighting overseas, attacking a Jewish man, and making an explosive device. He later gave an undercover agent $400, two loaded guns, six magazines, and binoculars, believing the agent was affiliated with ISIS.

The designation is important because it supports the material-support charge described in the article. Akhtar pleaded guilty to attempting to provide support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The article says he faces sentencing in February 2027.

Attempt laws address dangerous conduct before a planned crime reaches completion. They allow prosecutors to act when a person has intent and takes substantial steps toward the prohibited conduct. This preventive approach matters because waiting for an attack or a terrorist group to use supplied weapons could create far greater danger.

The article describes more than private statements. Akhtar discussed joining ISIS, attacking a Jewish man, and making a homemade explosive. He then met an undercover agent he believed was affiliated with ISIS and transferred $400, two loaded guns, six magazines, and binoculars. Those actions formed the basis of the attempted-support charge.

No completed attack is reported. The Jewish man did not appear to be an IDF soldier, and the article does not say that the transferred items were used. Akhtar nevertheless pleaded guilty, showing how the law can address attempted support before the intended violence occurs.