Kent, Washington, resident pleads guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization

Seattle - A 21-year-old Kent, Washington, resident pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Saed Ali Mirreh was arrested in November 2025 as he prepared to board a plane to Turkey with the goal of crossing into Syria to fight for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham ("ISIS"). Mirreh was originally charged in the District of New Jersey with coconspirator 19-year-old Tomas-Kaan Jimenez-Guzel. Mirreh's case was transferred earlier this month to the Western District of Washington. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones scheduled sentencing for October 16, 2026.

According to the plea agreement, as early as July 2025, Mirreh began communicating with co-conspirators about traveling to Turkey to ultimately join ISIS as fighters. Mirreh knew ISIS had been declared a foreign terrorist organization. In late October 2025, Mirreh purchased an airline ticket to travel from Seattle to Istanbul on November 16, 2025, to meet other members of the conspiracy and travel onward to Syria.

However, on October 31, 2025, members of the conspiracy residing in Dearborn, Michigan were arrested for plotting an attack in the U.S. on behalf of ISIS. Mirreh and coconspirator Jimenez-Guzel moved up their flight to Turkey to November 5, 2025. Mirreh was arrested at his Kent residence on November 4, 2025.

Communications between the coconspirators reveal they discussed plans to participate in "jihad," as well as detailed physical training, weapons, including firearms and improvised explosive devices, and how to avoid detection by law enforcement.

Conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Mirreh will not appeal his sentence if it is 20 years or less. Similarly, the government agrees it will not appeal the sentence if it is 20 years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg in coordination with Assistant U.S. Attorney Camila A. Garces of the National Security Unit in Newark, New Jersey and Trial Attorneys John Cella, Patrick Cashman, and James Donnelly of the U.S. Department of Justice's Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.