Maryland man sentenced for attempting to join ISIS, plotting US attack

BALTIMORE - A Hanover man received a 15-year sentence with lifetime supervised release Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of Maryland for attempting to join the terrorist group ISIS before police arrested him at BWI airport in October 2024.

Michael Sam Teekaye, 22, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in January - a charge carrying a 20-year maximum sentence. Teekaye told an undercover officer he wanted to join ISIS overseas to conduct an attack, while his "plan B" was to carry out an attack in the U.S. against "Jews and people who support Israel," according to the affidavit in court documents.

During his arrest at the airport, where he ultimately hoped to reach Somalia in order to join ISIS, he told officers, "I'm just gonna get out in 20 years and I'm just gonna do it here," and "I'll kill your soldiers," according to a news release.

The prosecution asked for 15 years, which is the most the U.S. could ask for according to the plea agreement, saying the "threat Teekaye poses to our national security is clear," in a sentencing memorandum.

"Teekaye was not successful in joining the ranks of the world's deadliest terrorist organization, and we do not have to second-guess whether a terrorist attack could have been averted," the prosecution wrote in court documents.

Teekaye's representation could not be reached for comment. However, the defense, which asked for five years, wrote that the defendant had neurocognitive and psychiatric vulnerabilities, which do not "excuse" the conduct, but it creates a "complicated" situation, according to the sentencing memorandum

"Fulfilling the goals of sentencing, however, requires due consideration of Michael's complex vulnerabilities and treatment needs to fashion a sentence that accounts for their impact on his culpability and prognosis," the defense's sentencing memorandum reads.

The affidavit in court records show Teekaye had a history of violence, with documented threats against his peers, including an emergency petition in Howard County after he allegedly said he wanted to cut a classmate's head off. He also operated an Instagram account "expressing extremist Islamist ideology," according to the affidavit.

Teekaye also pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in Howard County District Court in November 2022 after police responded to him in the parking lot of a Columbia elementary school with a black ski mask and a large knife. The then-18-year-old also threatened to "kill all of the officers," according to the affidavit.

In April 2023, while unknowingly speaking to an undercover officer, Teekaye said he would conduct an attack in the U.S., pointing to an unnamed location in Columbia, according to the affidavit. Cellphone data showed Teekaye conducted searches for Howard County Jewish and Israeli individuals and organizations.

Teekaye also attended a shooting range in Severn, where he unsuccessfully attempted to purchase a rifle, according to the affidavit.

In late 2024, Teekaye told the undercover officer he was in contact with a Somali ISIS member who would help facilitate his travel, including making an Ethiopian e-Visa and purchasing his flight out of BWI, according to the affidavit.

FBI agents then observed the man enter a ride-sharing vehicle to BWI, check in for the flight and proceed through security on Oct. 14, 2024, prior to the arrest, the affidavit said.

The defense wrote in the sentencing memorandum that Teekaye's delusions, OCD and neurocognitive impairments made him "especially vulnerable to the lure of sensational online content."

"Rather than develop through meaningful relationships with Muslims he encountered in real life, Michael's interest in Islam was borne out of shocking and propagandistic videos he encountered on YouTube and Instagram," according to the sentencing memorandum. "Michael connected to extremist accounts that fueled his obsession and filled his need for connection."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul commended the bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force for their work on the case.

"This sentencing reinforces the gravity of Michael Teekaye's crimes," Paul said in the release. "Undoubtedly, lives were saved because law enforcement thwarted Teekaye's plan to join ISIS and murder Americans."

_____

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.