Three men pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges after federal prosecutors said they planned to travel overseas to join ISIS, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced on Wednesday.
Tomas-Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, 19, of Montclair, N.J.; Saed Ali Mirreh, 20, of Kent, Wash.; and Milo Sedarat, 21, of Montclair, admitted to supporting the Islamic State through a plan to travel to Turkey and enter Syria to fight for the designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to court documents, Jimenez-Guzel and Mirreh purchased airline tickets in November 2025 as part of their plan to travel to Turkey before crossing into Syria. Sedarat provided Jimenez-Guzel with $500 in October 2025 to help fund Mirreh’s ticket, prosecutors said. Sedarat instructed Jimenez-Guzel to leave his cellphone behind during the cash exchange and used cash in an effort to conceal the transaction from law enforcement.
Jimenez-Guzel, Mirreh and other alleged co-conspirators communicated through encrypted messaging applications between July and November 2025 to coordinate travel to “Sham,” an Arabic term referring to the historical region of greater Syria.
Jimenez-Guzel initially booked a Nov. 17 flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Istanbul, while Mirreh booked a Nov. 16 flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They accelerated their plans after several people in Dearborn, Mich., with whom they had communicated were arrested on Oct. 31 and charged in connection with an alleged ISIS-inspired attack plot.
Jimenez-Guzel rebooked his flight to depart shortly after midnight on Nov. 4. Federal agents arrested him after he arrived at Newark. Mirreh, who had booked a new flight to Turkey for Nov. 5, was arrested later that day at his home in Washington.
“Any individual supporting ISIS or other terrorist organizations, regardless of whether it involves organizing an attack, planning to travel overseas or funding others to join ISIS, will be investigated swiftly and prosecuted,” Robert Frazer, U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, stated.
Jimenez-Guzel and Mirreh pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Sedarat pleaded guilty to concealing material support and resources provided to ISIS.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and lifetime supervised release. Sedarat faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and lifetime supervised release.
“These men actively plotted and planned to go overseas to fight with ISIS, one of the worst terrorist organizations responsible for unspeakable violence all over the world,” stated Stefanie Roddy, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark field office.
“Regardless of the intent to either fight overseas or plot an attack on our soil, we will tenaciously investigate and arrest anyone supporting and conspiring with terrorists,” she said.
