On September 12, the FBI arrested a 21-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of plotting a violent attack on behalf of the Islamic State, marking the second arrest of an American citizen for allegedly plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack within the past month.
The FBI arrested Jonathan Hunter Kramer outside a hotel in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, approximately 25 miles north of Pittsburgh. The following day, Kramer was charged with “receiving a firearm and ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the firearm and ammunition would be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism,” according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors have asked the court to detain him without bond pending trial.
On the day of his arrest, the FBI observed Kramer leaving his residence and purchasing a disposable phone. He was then seen receiving a long black bag from an unidentified individual. Kramer allegedly subsequently paid cash for a hotel room and visited the gun counter inside a sporting goods store.
An unidentified witness told a local news station that he heard Kramer say, “Today is the day,” at the Cranberry Township hotel. The witness also said that Kramer’s bag made a sound consistent with firearm magazines striking one another.
After Kramer returned from the sporting goods store, the FBI detained him and executed search warrants on his hotel room and residence. Agents reportedly recovered a semiautomatic rifle, approximately 190 rounds of ammunition, a rifle scope and bipod, approximately 30 knives, five rifle magazines (two of which were loaded), a prayer rug, pepper spray, and an entrenchment tool. Authorities also found a handwritten note reading, “DoNt look For me[.] IDK what I did buT I cant live In constant Fear[.]”
“Kramer was taken into custody just as he appeared to be preparing for a mass shooting that could have taken many lives, having already secured a rifle and approximately 190 rounds of ammunition for what he called his ‘mission,’” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said. “His apparent ISIS inspiration and escalation toward violence show how close this country came to a devastating attack. This arrest prevented what could have been a horrific tragedy.”
The FBI first investigated Kramer in 2023 after receiving information that someone was posting threatening statements on Telegram and Discord. During the investigation, authorities reportedly discovered a recording in which Kramer pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the former Islamic State leader who was killed in 2019.
Kramer, who was a minor at the time, was subsequently adjudicated delinquent by Pennsylvania authorities for participating in a mass-casualty attack plot and possessing child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced to a juvenile treatment program that concluded this past March.
Following his release, the FBI received a tip that Kramer had been receiving “mysterious” packages and communicating with “his friends from before.” Using information obtained during the previous investigation, the FBI identified online activity in which Kramer allegedly posted Islamic State and Hamas propaganda on Reddit.
Investigators also found that Kramer had been using the online persona “Hamza Al Rashid.” Under that name, he claimed an affiliation with the Islamic State and reportedly discussed injecting ricin or cyanide into food at grocery stores or “food events, preferably synagogues.”
Kramer reportedly communicated with an FBI confidential source through a messaging platform and said that he wanted to conduct a terrorist attack but was having difficulty legally purchasing a firearm because of his previous adjudication.
Authorities began monitoring Kramer’s movements after investigators learned that he was attempting to purchase firearms online.
Kramer’s arrest marks the sixth Islamic State-linked terrorism case or incident in the United States this year, underscoring the jihadist group’s continued ability to inspire or enable terrorist attacks on US soil.
