Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that Jonathan Hunter Kramer was arrested in Pennsylvania for plotting a violent attack on behalf of ISIS. The 21-year-old from Valencia was taken into custody with a semiautomatic rifle and 190 rounds of ammunition, the New York Post reported.
FBI agents tracked Kramer to a hotel in Cranberry Township after he bought a disposable phone and met a contact in a parking lot. Investigators found five rifle magazines, a scope, a bipod, and about 30 knives during searches of his room and home.
This arrest follows a broader trend where most alleged ISIS-linked defendants are actually U.S. citizens, a study by the Washington Examiner highlighted. According to reports, Technology, and Education Center, 212 out of the 280 individuals charged since 2014 held American citizenship.
Federal prosecutors noted that Jonathan Hunter Kramer had been previously investigated in 2023 as a minor for a mass-casualty plot. An anonymous tip on March 19 led agents back to him after he was released from juvenile detention for ordering “mysterious” packages.
Officials praised the team for stopping the threat before anyone was hurt.
Kramer faces charges for receiving a firearm knowing it would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism. Accusations also allege his attempt to offer material assistance to an identified foreign terrorist group.
The complaint details how he used the online name “Hamza Al Rashid” to offer explosives manuals and claim an affiliation with ISIS. Investigators say he was missing a “weapon” until he bought the rifle at a sporting goods store just before his arrest.
The charges against him include obtaining a gun and ammo while aware or reasonably believing they would facilitate a felony. The New York Post confirms he is currently held without bail while federal charges move forward.
This case joins a list of recent domestic plots, including a New York woman arrested for planning to bomb the state capitol.
