A 34-year-old Stockton man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide money and weapons in an apparent bid to engage in terrorism through the Islamic State, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento announced.
Ammaad Akhtar, a U.S. citizen, also expressed a desire to have operatives in the terrorist organization ISIS teach him how to make a homemade bomb that he would explode at a crowded event, sacrificing himself in the process, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
Akhtar was arrested last year in an undercover operation in which agents posed as ISIS contacts online. He pleaded guilty Friday to attempting to provide material support to the organization.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he was intending to attack an unnamed individual and wanted to die “in the cause of Allah” fighting infidels. Akhtar requested instructions on how to make a bomb that would “make a boom” at a place filled with people. He also said he wanted to travel overseas and fight for ISIS, federal prosecutors said.
ISIS is an organization known for indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Europe and Asia. It also is known to have engaged in the kidnappings and beheadings of Americans and other Westerners in the Middle East.
In April 2025, Akhtar provided what he thought were payments to ISIS several times, federal investigators said. When an undercover agent told him that the money he provided was used to buy guns, Akhtar replied, “May Allah destroy our enemies,” and he then promised to send more money, according to court documents.
The following June, Akhtar met with an uncover officer he thought was an ISIS representative, handing over clothing, binoculars, two loaded guns, six magazines of ammunition and $400 in cash. He also took a pledge of loyalty to ISIS, prosecutors said.
Following his guilty plea, Akhtar is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 27 in U.S. District Court. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.