Federal authorities quietly stopped what could have become a deadly New Year’s Eve nightmare, and the details should make every American pause. On Tuesday, the United States Department of Justice announced that an ISIS linked terrorist plot aimed at potential New Year’s Eve targets in Texas had been shut down before anyone was hurt.
The suspect, John Michael Garza Jr., is a 21 year old resident of Midlothian, Texas. Federal prosecutors charged Garza with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, better known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, and based on the evidence laid out so far, prosecutors are not messing around.
According to court filings, the investigation began in mid October 2025 when an undercover employee with the New York City Police Department identified a social media account tied to Garza. The account followed multiple pro ISIS profiles and openly interacted with extremist content. This was not passive scrolling. This was engagement.
In online conversations, Garza described himself as a Mexican American living in Texas and repeatedly expressed support for ISIS ideology. He shared official ISIS propaganda, including images of masked militants, explosions, and even a video of a suicide vehicle bombing. He also sent cryptocurrency to someone he believed was an ISIS supporter, thinking the money would be used to buy weapons and materials.
That someone was actually an undercover law enforcement officer.
As the conversations escalated, Garza moved from words to action. He discussed acquiring bomb making materials and agreed to meet in person to hand them over. On December 22, Garza met an individual he believed was another ISIS supporter. In reality, it was an undercover FBI agent. Garza provided explosive components, explained how to mix them, suggested adding nails to maximize lethality, and even offered to send an instructional video on assembling the bomb.
Moments after the exchange, Garza was arrested. He appeared before a magistrate judge in the Northern District of Texas the following day.
Attorney General Pam Bondi made the administration’s position unmistakably clear. She called the case proof that federal agents are working nonstop to protect American lives and vowed that ISIS’s ideology would be rooted out completely. Anyone attempting violence on its behalf, she said, will be found and prosecuted.
This case is a reminder of two uncomfortable truths. First, the terrorist threat did not vanish. Second, proactive law enforcement works. This plot was stopped because authorities were paying attention, tracking online radicalization, and acting before slogans turned into body bags. That vigilance saved lives, whether critics want to admit it or not.
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