‘Evidence of explosives’ found in FBI arrest of alleged ISIS financier

FBI officials arrested a 28-year-old Long Beach man Friday after a federal criminal complaint alleged he sent a dozen payments to the foreign terrorist organization ISIS, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

The office identified Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, who is a lawful permanent resident from the Philippines, as the alleged suspect accused of attempting to “provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.” Within the office’s press release, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called Villanueva’s alleged actions a “risk to our national security.”

“Supporting a terrorist group, whether at home or abroad, is a serious risk to our national security,” Essayli said. “We will aggressively hunt down and prosecute anyone who provides support or comfort to our enemies.”

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Villanueva had allegedly communicated through social media with two individuals who identified themselves as ISIS fighters. Over the course of their conversations, the 28-year-old allegedly expressed a desire to support ISIS and offered money to aid their activities.

“It’s an honor to fight and die for our faith. It’s the best way to go to heaven,” Villanueva allegedly said. “Someday soon, I’ll be joining.”

In one of his February conversations with a self-identified ISIS fighter, Villanueva allegedly offered to send money and asked if it would “cover your equipment and your weapons.” The 28-year-old also reportedly discussed using an intermediary to make the payment.

According to the press release, Western Union records show Villanueva allegedly sent “12 payments totaling $1,615 during a five-month period to two intermediaries who accessed the money overseas.”

In another exchange, Villanueva allegedly told one of the individuals that he possessed a bomb and knives. Prosecutors said the FBI recovered “what appeared to be a bomb” from the 28-year-old’s bedroom during his arrest, posting a photo of the evidence on X.

Officials said Villanueva was scheduled to make his initial appearance in the United States District Court in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

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