A 19-year-old from Montclair, New Jersey, once a promising high school football player with dreams of joining the National Football League, has been charged in connection with an alleged plot to carry out an attack inspired by the Islamic State. Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, along with 21-year-old Milo Sedarat, was arrested after authorities uncovered plans to bomb gay bars in Detroit and travel to Syria for terrorist training. Both suspects grew up in affluent families and attended Montclair High School, with Jimenez previously attending an elite Manhattan school.

Investigators allege that Jimenez became radicalized online, boasting about his role as a 'recruiter' and sharing violent messages and images, including posing with weapons and an Islamic State flag. Sedarat, the son of a college professor and poet, is accused of making antisemitic threats and expressing a desire to carry out mass violence. Authorities seized firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear during their raids, and both suspects now face serious federal charges that could result in lengthy prison sentences if convicted.