FBI: Pennsylvania man allegedly obtains rifle, ammunition in support of a terrorist attack
PITTSBURGH —
A 21-year-old man is facing a federal charge after allegedly obtaining a firearm and ammunition that investigators say he knew — or had reason to believe — would be used in support of a terror attack on behalf of ISIS.
The criminal complaint says Jonathan Hunter Kramer, 21, left his home with a backpack Saturday, took an Uber to a Walmart store in Gibsonia, and allegedly obtained a rifle.
Investigators say Kramer also bought a disposable phone, paid cash to check into a hotel and later visited a gun store.
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In the complaint, the FBI said Kramer’s online posts, combined with his actions that day, helped establish probable cause for the federal charge.
The complaint lists the charge as “receipt or transfer of a firearm or ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such firearm or ammunition will be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism.”
Kramer was taken in by FBI agents over the weekend after he returned to the hotel room with three 30-round capacity rifle magazines and five boxes of rifle ammunition.
That’s when officials say the FBI executed search warrants, seized the semiautomatic rifle and ammunition from his hotel room, and arrested him.
“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.
Officials say Kramer had been known to the FBI since 2023, when he was charged as a minor for a role to commit a mass casualty incident and for possessing child sexual abuse material.
In March of 2026, the FBI received a tip that Kramer had been ordering ‘mysterious packages’ and ‘talking to his friends from before.’
Through that investigation, authorities learned Kramer had allegedly been using the online persona of “Hamza Al Rashid” who claimed affiliation with ISIS.
This persona allegedly offered to share explosive manuals with others, and expressed his intent to prepare for his “mission” and that he was just missing a “weapon.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI will discuss the arrest and the charges at a news conference Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh, a spokesman for the Department of Justice said.
This is a developing story. Stay with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 for updates.
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