Rowan University freshman arrested for alleged ties to terrorist plot in Michigan

A freshman at Rowan University has been arrested by the FBI for his alleged role in a planned terrorist attack in suburban Detroit on Halloween weekend.

Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzal, 19, of Montclair, New Jersey, was charged with conspiring to provide material to support a designated terrorist organization and indicted in federal court Wednesday, according to officials. He was taken into custody Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airpot.

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Rowan President Ali A. Houshmand said in a statement Thursday that the university had been aware that the FBI was investigating one of its students prior to Guzal's arrest.

"At no time during the investigation was there ever a threat to the University community," Houshmand said. He said he could not comment on the specifics of the investigation.

Jimenez-Guzal, a computer science major who enrolled at Rowan this fall, and his co-conspirators planned to travel to Turkey and Syria to join ISIS as fighters, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba said, citing the criminal complaint. Jimenez-Guzal allegedly communicated with his co-conspirators using encrypted messaging apps between Oct. 4, 2024 and Nov. 4, 2025.

"In their communications, they discussed detailed travel plans, physical training, weapons … and methods to avoid law enforcement detection," Habba said. "According to the complaint, they pledged themselves to ISIS and were plotting acts of terrorism in our country."

Jimenez-Guzal is one of six people who have been arrested in connection with the planned terror attack targeting LGBTQ+ bars in Ferndale, Michigan. One of the men charged allegedly had bought more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition for AR-15-style rifles. Investigators said they seized tactical vests and backpacks, rifles, ammunition, loaded handguns and GoPro cameras from homes and a storage unit in the Detroit area.

The FBI declined to comment through an automated response saying it is not responding to certain media inquiries until the government shutdown ends.