A 21-year-old Texas man has been charged with a federal terrorism offense for trying to give bomb components and money to people he believed were connected to the Islamic State terrorist group, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Dec. 29.
John Michael Garza Jr. of Midlothian, Texas, was charged after meeting on Dec. 22 with someone he thought supported a foreign terrorist organization. Authorities said the person was an undercover FBI agent.
According to the federal complaint, Garza brought “various bomb-making materials” to the meeting and “explained how to mix the ingredients and surround them with nails.” He also “offered to send the undercover an instructional bomb-building video.”
Prosecutors said the investigation began in mid-October when a New York City Police Department undercover employee “noticed a social-media account,” later traced to Garza, that followed pro-ISIS content and had written a supportive comment on a post.
Over weeks of online conversation, Garza, who described himself to the undercover employee as “Mexican-American,” shared that he “ascribed to the ISIS ideology” and sent official ISIS media releases. He also sent small amounts of cryptocurrency in November and December, believing that his money would help ISIS purchase firearms.
Garza appeared in federal court on Dec. 23, with a probable cause and detention hearing scheduled for Dec. 20. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
