A 19-year-old former Michigan Army National Guard soldier has been arrested and charged with attempting to carry out a mass shooting at a U.S. military installation on behalf of ISIS, according to the Department of Justice.
Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, of Melvindale, Michigan, was taken into custody on Tuesday, May 13, outside the gates of the Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren. Said is facing two federal charges: attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.
Said’s Hometown: A Quiet, Growing Arab American Enclave
Melvindale, located in Wayne County just south of Detroit, has quietly become a hub for Arab American families over the past two decades. According to a 2016 Arab American News report, around 2,000 Arab Americans—mostly of Yemeni descent—had settled in the small city of 10,000, drawn by affordable housing, low taxes, and relative peace and safety. The city built a mosque without controversy, and local leaders, including the mayor and police, have been praised by the community for their support and cooperation.
“I think that we are about 20 percent Middle Eastern in the city,” said Mayor Stacy Striz at the time.
Wayne County now has the highest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States, with over 100,000 residents identifying as Middle Eastern or North African (MENA). More than half of that population resides in the city of Dearborn, where Arabs make up approximately 54.5% of the city’s 109,000 residents—making it the first majority-Arab city in the nation, according to 2020 census data.
Said, who lived in this deeply rooted Arab American community, is now accused of betraying the values of both his hometown and the country he once served in uniform.
Planned Attack on Army Logistics Hub
Federal authorities say Said spent months planning a mass shooting at TACOM, a critical Army facility responsible for managing about 60% of the Army’s ground equipment supply chain. His plan included using small arms and Molotov cocktails, with tactical support from what he believed were ISIS-aligned operatives—who were, in fact, undercover FBI agents.
On the morning of the planned attack, Said launched a drone over TACOM to conduct reconnaissance before initiating the assault. That’s when he was taken into custody by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
According to the DOJ, Said not only supplied the agents with armor-piercing ammunition and high-capacity magazines, but also trained them on firearms use and improvised weapons. He detailed how to enter the facility, which building to target, and how to coordinate the attack.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Short Military Tenure, Long-Term Risk
Said’s time in uniform was brief. He enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard in September 2022 and attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was discharged in December 2023—just 15 months later. The nature of his discharge was not disclosed.
Army Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command, emphasized the importance of vigilance, particularly when it comes to insider threats.
“This is a sobering reminder of the importance of our counterintelligence efforts to identify and disrupt those who would seek to harm our nation,” said Cox. “We urge all soldiers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their chain of command.”
Said’s initial court appearance took place Wednesday in the Eastern District of Michigan. Federal prosecutors are requesting he be held in pretrial detention, citing both his danger to the community and flight risk.
“Helping ISIS or any other terrorist organization prepare or carry out acts of violence is not only a reprehensible crime — it is a threat to our entire nation and way of life,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr.
As of this publication, Said remains in federal custody. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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