PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The FBI arrested a student enrolled at Rowan University in Gloucester County, New Jersey, who is suspected of having terroristic intentions in connection with an alleged ISIS-inspired Halloween terror plot targeting an amusement park in Michigan. He is one of two Essex County residents who are in federal custody.
A Rowan University spokesperson said Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzal, 19, of Montclair, New Jersey, was admitted as part of the fall 2025 freshman class and majored in computer science.
According to university president Ali A. Houshmand, Jimenez-Guzal was indicted in federal court on Wednesday and is in federal custody. Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba said Jimenez-Guzal has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization.
Habba said Jimenez-Guzal sent encrypted messages to other co-conspirators containing plans to travel to Turkey and then Syria, to join and fight for ISIS.
“In their communications, they discussed detailed travel plans, physical training, weapons including firearms and IEDs, and methods to avoid law enforcement detection,” she said.
Habba said the arrests of Jimenez-Guzal and Milo Sederat, also from Montclair, were connected to an alleged ISIS-inspired Halloween terror plot in Michigan targeting an amusement park three hours away from Dearborn.
Rowan’s President said university officials were notified of the investigation by the FBI before the arrest. He added that there was never a threat to the university community at any time during the investigation.