A story just emerging from Michigan’s heartland rattles the very bedrock of our national security. A 19-year-old former member of the Michigan Army National Guard, named Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, stands accused of plotting a mass attack on a U.S. military facility near Detroit, inspired, reportedly, by the terrorist organization ISIS. This tale comes to us from newly unsealed court documents.
Said is alleged to have meticulously planned this assault on the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command facility in Warren. He reportedly communicated his vicious intent with two supposed ISIS supporters who, unbeknownst to him, were wearing the badge of law enforcement underneath their covers, according to prosecutorial details.
The planned attack, which was thwarted by timely law enforcement interventions, was scheduled for a Tuesday morning. Authorities intercepted Said as he prepared to launch a drone in support of his deadly plan. The young man now faces charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information linked to destructive devices.
The charging documents paint a damning picture of a young American who not only provided armor-piercing ammunition and high-capacity magazines but also conducted reconnaissance flights over the facility. He trained his supposed co-conspirators to use Molotov cocktails and gave them targeted instructions to inflict maximum damage. It’s an American nightmare, its roots tangled in the dark soil of terrorist ideology.
Said, a young man from Melvindale, enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard in September 2022. He underwent basic training at Fort Moore in Georgia and served at the Michigan Army National Guard Taylor Armory before being discharged in December 2024. The reason for his discharge remains undisclosed. But what we know for certain is this: Said was supposedly nurturing a deadly desire to engage in violent jihad, either in ISIS-held territories or right here on our home soil.
A young man who once pledged allegiance to defend our nation is now accused of turning his back on that solemn vow, seduced by the dark allure of a terrorist organization. ‘The arrest of this former Soldier is a sobering reminder of the importance of our counterintelligence efforts,’ Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command, echoed in a statement.
Some dangers lurk within, the enemy who wears our uniform, and the ever-present need for vigilance. It reminds us that liberty, as my grandfather used to say, is a fragile thing; its preservation requires the courage to face the wolves howling at our doors and the serpents hiding in our gardens.
