The FBI arrested a 21-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of preparing an ISIS-inspired mass attack, seizing a rifle, ammunition, and other gear from his hotel room.
Jonathan Hunter Kramer, from Valencia, Pennsylvania, allegedly told contacts online that he was preparing for his “mission” but still needed a “weapon.” Federal agents moved in before that weapon could be used.
A federal criminal complaint details how Kramer pledged allegiance to ISIS, used the online alias “Hamza Al Rashid,” and offered to distribute explosives manuals while claiming direct ties to the terror group. He now faces charges of receiving a firearm and ammunition while knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe, they would be used to commit an act of terrorism or support a designated foreign terrorist organization.
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This was not Kramer’s first encounter with federal authorities. The FBI had investigated him in 2023, when he was still a minor. That investigation led to juvenile charges in Pennsylvania tied to a separate alleged mass-casualty attack plot, as well as possession of child sexual abuse material. He was adjudicated delinquent in that case and later released from juvenile detention.
The renewed investigation began almost immediately after his release. According to a report, an anonymous tip reached federal investigators on March 19, shortly after Kramer left juvenile detention. The tipster said Kramer was receiving mysterious packages and had resumed contact with associates from before his juvenile adjudication.
Investigators then began monitoring his online activity, and what they found escalated quickly. Kramer allegedly claimed affiliation with ISIS, offered to provide explosives manuals to others, and wrote that he was actively preparing for a “mission.” He also stated he was still in need of a “weapon,” a detail that put federal agents on immediate high alert.
That combination, a prior terrorism-related juvenile record, renewed online contact with extremist associates, incoming packages, and explicit online statements about an upcoming mission, was enough to trigger a full federal response. Agents tracked Kramer to a hotel, where they moved in and made the arrest. A rifle, ammunition, and additional materials were seized at the scene.
The Justice Department’s involvement reflects how seriously authorities treated the threat. The charges Kramer faces carry serious federal weight, specifically targeting individuals who acquire weapons with knowledge or reasonable belief that those weapons will be used in acts of terrorism or to support a foreign terrorist organization.
Kramer’s case illustrates the recurring challenge federal law enforcement faces with individuals who first surface as juveniles in terrorism-related investigations and later re-emerge after release. In this instance, an anonymous tip and fast-moving surveillance appear to have stopped a potential attack before it could begin.
