Federal prosecutors filed charges Tuesday against Jonathan Hunter Cramer, 21, of Valencia in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Cramer is accused of receiving a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit federal terrorism offenses and providing material support to the terrorist organization ISIS. FBI agents arrested him as he returned to a hotel carrying magazines and ammunition.
1+The investigation began after information was received in March following his release from a juvenile detention facility, where he had been held for involvement in a previous 2023 mass attack plot. According to the indictment, Cramer operated online under the alias “Hamza al-Rashid,” expressed open support for ISIS’s extremist ideology, offered to share guides for making explosives, and declared he was preparing for a “mission” and only lacked a weapon.
On Saturday, September 12, agents followed Cramer as he purchased a burner phone, received a long black bag from another vehicle, and rented a hotel room with cash. A search of his room turned up a semi-automatic rifle, five magazines, 190 rounds of ammunition, approximately 30 knives, a prayer rug, and a handwritten note. On Monday, September 14, Cramer was brought to his initial court appearance, where prosecutors requested he be held in custody until trial due to the clear danger he posed to the public.
1+Senior Justice Department and FBI officials praised law enforcement for disrupting the attack before it could be carried out. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that the swift disruption prevented a serious tragedy and saved many lives. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg also noted that the suspect was on the verge of carrying out a deadly mass shooting in the name of the terrorist organization, and the intervention by security forces prevented a major disaster.