A 21-year-old man from Western Pennsylvania claimed allegiance with ISIS and was planning a terrorist attack before he was arrested with a firearm, nearly 200 rounds of ammunition and about 30 knives when he was arrested over this past weekend, according to the FBI.
On Tuesday, Sept. 15, officials with the Department of Justice announced that Jonathan Hunter Kramer, 21, of Valencia, Pa., was charged with federal weapons offenses for having a firearm and ammunition that would be used to commit terrorism and related offenses following an investigation that began back in 2023.
“This FBI continues to move more effectively than we ever have stopping terrorists before they harm the American people,” said FBI Director Kash Patel in a statement on Kramer's arrest. “The subject in this case was allegedly plotting a violent attack in support of ISIS — engaging with ISIS propaganda online, building attack concepts, and repeatedly expressing extremist rhetoric — all while acquiring weapons believed to be in preparation of the attack.”
Kramer came to the attention of the FBI back in 2023 when, as a minor, he was reported to federal officials after he was charged on allegations related to planning to commit a mass casualty incident and possessing child sexual abuse materials, officials said.
Then, earlier this year, in March, following his release from a juvenile detention facility, the FBI received a tip after Kramer was, allegedly, receiving "mysterious" packages in the mail and was "talking to his friends from before."
According to court documents, a follow up investigation into this tip alleges Kramer was using an online persona under the name "Hamza Al Rashid," through which he "claimed affiliation with ISIS, offered to share explosive manuals with others, and expressed his intent to prepare for his 'mission' and that he was just missing a 'weapon.'"
Then, officials said, investigators with the FBI observed Kramer "quickly depart" his home on Sept. 12, 2026, while carrying a bag before using a rideshare service to go to a retail store where he purchased a disposable cell phone.
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After leaving this store, FBI officials claim he met an unidentified individual in the parking lot and acquired a long black bag from the truck of that individual's vehicle.
"Kramer then traveled to a hotel in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, where he paid cash to book a room," officials said in a statement. "Witnesses from both the store and hotel noted Kramer’s bag making a metallic clicking sound when he placed it down. After checking into his room, Kramer traveled to a sporting goods store and was observed by the FBI at the gun counter."
When he left this store, officials said, he was stopped by FBI agents as he carried two bags full of items he had purchased from the sporting good store.
He then agreed to talk to the agents, officials said, and his bags, his hotel room and residence were searched by law enforcement agents.
In these searches, officials said, FBI agents recovered:
“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,’” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg in a statement. “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.”
Kramer made his initial court appearance, officials said, on Sept. 14, 2026.
The United States has requested detention for Kramer and has requested he be held without bond pending trial, asserting that he is a danger to the community.