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FBI Arrests Pennsylvania Man for ISIS-Inspired Attack Plan

By Drooid · Sep 18, 2026, 3:04 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

FBI arrests Kramer

FBI agents arrested 21-year-old Jonathan Kramer of Pennsylvania for planning an ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attack.
Agents seized Kramer outside a hotel in Cranberry Township, about 25 miles north of Pittsburgh, on Saturday.
They recovered a semi-automatic rifle, a scope, roughly 190 rounds of ammunition, and about 30 knives.
U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Kramer’s radical ideology motivated the planned attack.

Summary

Extremist Charged

He faces a federal charge of receiving a firearm with intent to commit a felony or terrorism.
A magistrate judge ordered his detention after his initial court appearance on Monday.
He was held in juvenile detention from April 2023 to March 2026 and later flagged for an ISIS-style banner.
Investigators linked his online alias “Hamza Al Rashid” to extremist propaganda and a laptop recording him reciting an ISIS pledge.

Summary

Kramer Maps Targets

Kramer, the suspect, listed nightclubs, theaters, concerts, apartments, hotels and low-security schools as prime targets.
The document praised fire as a tool causing millions-to-billions in property damage.
Kramer allegedly asked a 14-year-old in Germany to send him child sexual-abuse material.
He bought a disposable cellphone and stored it in Faraday bags to block signals.
Witnesses heard a metallic click when he placed a long black bag on the hotel counter.

History

Historical Context

The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, carried out by anti-government veteran Timothy McVeigh, killed 168 people after he retaliated against the federal response to Ruby Ridge (1992) and Waco (1993). That attack spurred the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and heightened federal monitoring of extremist propaganda. In April 2024, Pennsylvania authorities arrested 21-year-old Jonathan Kramer, reflecting the DOJ’s continued effort to thwart similar home-grown terrorism.

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FBI arrests Kramer

FBI agents arrested 21-year-old Jonathan Kramer of Pennsylvania for planning an ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attack.
Agents seized Kramer outside a hotel in Cranberry Township, about 25 miles north of Pittsburgh, on Saturday.
They recovered a semi-automatic rifle, a scope, roughly 190 rounds of ammunition, and about 30 knives.
U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Kramer’s radical ideology motivated the planned attack.

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