A California state employee with a public-facing persona as a friendly engineering graduate now stands accused of attempting to support ISIS and plotting to murder Jews, according to a criminal complaint unsealed this week.

Ammaad Akhtar, 33, who is still listed online as a hazardous substances engineer with the California Environmental Protection Agency, was charged Tuesday with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and making violent threats. Federal prosecutors allege he tried to funnel money, firearms, and tactical gear to an individual he believed was an ISIS operative—and repeatedly expressed his desire to kill a Jewish man he believed had served in the IDF.

A Justice Department statement said Akhtar was arrested after months of communications with an undercover law enforcement agent posing as an ISIS contact. During that period, Akhtar allegedly sent money, provided weapons, and discussed plans to “die in the cause of Allah fighting the kuffar”—a term used in extremist circles to refer to non-Muslims.

The California EPA confirmed Akhtar’s employment and said it had only learned of the charges following his arrest. “We became aware of this situation after the arrest and intend to fully cooperate with the federal investigation,” a spokesperson told JNS.

According to the affidavit filed by the FBI, Akhtar’s support for ISIS and plans for violence unfolded over the course of several months. He allegedly offered praise for jihad, expressed his desire to “humiliate the dirty kuffar” in California, and even sought instructions on how to “make a boom,” including using a bomb emoji in messages. On June 23, he met with the undercover agent and delivered two loaded firearms, six magazines, binoculars, clothing, and $400 in cash, according to the complaint.

Much of the evidence stems from communications via encrypted messaging apps, where Akhtar allegedly declared his intention to carry out attacks and discussed surveilling a Jewish man he had seen outside a Stockton synagogue.

“Soon akhi,” he allegedly wrote, using the Arabic word for “my brother,” “the day will come when the head of every evil, dirty Jew and their slaves, the cross worshippers, will have their heads plucked like a chicken.”

Akhtar also allegedly told the undercover agent that he routinely carried a knife and firearm, and described following a man he believed to be a former Israeli soldier in an effort to learn his residence. In one message, he wrote, “Insha’Allah, I will handle this kafir, akhi.”

The FBI conducted surveillance at the synagogue Akhtar referenced and identified the owner of the red truck Akhtar claimed to be tracking. The person was not found to match Akhtar’s description of a former Israeli soldier, according to the court filing.

Akhtar’s LinkedIn profile describes him as a “mechanical engineering graduate” and a “great leader.” He completed his degree at the University of the Pacific in 2023. The profile remains online.

The arrest is part of a broader federal push to disrupt domestic threats tied to international terrorist groups. Over the weekend, authorities also detained 11 Iranians—some allegedly with ties to terrorism—at the southern border, raising new concerns in Washington about the scale of extremist infiltration.

“This arrest likely averted a terrible tragedy,” Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, told JNS. “Given Akhtar’s repeatedly-stated obsession with murdering the innocent Americans whom he called ‘kuffar’ and ‘evil dirty Jews and cross-worshipers,’ his arrest is a critical win for public safety.”

Akhtar faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He is currently in federal custody and has not entered a plea.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

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