21-year-old Texas man arrested, accused of providing bomb components to ISIS

A Midlothian who is alleged to be “sympathetic” to the Islamic State group and provided bomb components to a person he believed to be a member of the foreign terrorist organization was arrested and faces federal charges, prosecutors said.

John Michael Garza, Jr., 21, met with an undercover FBI agent who he thought was a ISIS “brother” on Dec. 22 and brought various bomb-making materials, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas said in a news release Monday.

During the meeting, Garza explained how to mix the ingredients and offered to send an instructional video explaining how to build the bomb. Garza was arrested shortly after he left the meeting, the release stated.

Undercover operation started in October

In October an undercover police officer from New York noticed Garza’s social media account where he followed several other “pro-ISIS” accounts and wrote a comment on a “pro-ISIS” post, the release stated.

Garza engaged with the undercover officer on social media throughout November and December and shared that he “ascribed to the ISIS ideology and sent the undercover multiple official ISIS media releases,” according to the federal complaint.

The officer was paid “small sums of cryptocurrency” by Garza who believed he was supporting ISIS to buy firearms and other materials, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges that Garza also shared a video depicting a suicide vehicle bombing. He told the undercover officer that he would buy the ingredients and agreed to meet with a second individual who Garza believed supported ISIS activities, the release stated.

A detention hearing for Garza is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 30.

“This case is a testament to the incredible work of our federal agents, who work tirelessly to save American lives,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in the release. “ISIS’s poisonous ideology must be ripped out root and stem — anyone who tries to commit violence on ISIS’s behalf will be found, arrested, and prosecuted.”

“The FBI worked alongside our law enforcement partners to quickly arrest an individual who intended to provide bomb making materials to a foreign terrorist organization,” FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said in the release. “Protecting the Homeland is a top priority for the FBI. This arrest demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding our communities from terrorism.”