Rich New Jersey Teen Plotted ISIS Inspired Terror While Living Large
A quiet, upscale pocket of Montclair, New Jersey, is reeling after two well off 19 year olds — one the son of a United Nations diplomat, the other the son of a Queens College professor — were charged in connection with an ISIS inspired terror scheme that federal agents say was aimed at Jews and LGBT clubgoers.
Milo Sedarat grew up in a million dollar Victorian home on a leafy street, but behind closed doors, prosecutors say he was steeped in violent antisemitism. Court filings describe him posing in black clothing with knives and swords, calling himself “the biggest antisemite in America,” and fantasizing about mass executions of Jews. In private messages, he allegedly wrote about wanting to “line up like 500 Jews and execute them in front of their wives and family” and take “Jewish slave girls.” Prosecutors say he even told his mother — who reportedly confiscated his swords — that her Jewish friends “deserve to die.”
The second suspect, Tomas Kaan Jimenez Guzel, is the son of a UN diplomat who works in women’s entrepreneurship. Federal agents say he also embraced ISIS propaganda, bragging that he wanted to commit a Boston Marathon style bombing so he would be “notable enough to have [his] own Wikipedia page.” According to investigators, he volunteered to carry out beheadings for ISIS media and said, “I’ll do it, bro.” He was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport while allegedly attempting to fly to Turkey to reach ISIS territory in Syria.
Authorities say the pair were part of a broader cluster of extremists communicating in encrypted chats. Five additional suspects in New Jersey, Michigan, and Washington have been arrested in connection with the same network. Investigators allege the group hoped to mimic the ISIS inspired 2015 Paris attacks by targeting bars and nightclubs.
The discovery has stunned Montclair, a town known for progressive politics and diversity. Rabbi Yaacov Leaf of Chabad of Montclair said residents were blindsided. “It’s so shocking to see how such a radical ideology can be living in your backyard,” he said. “To realize that this type of hate has seeped into our suburban liberal community is very frightening.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba warned that radicalization no longer follows predictable patterns. “We can never believe this can’t touch us,” she said. “We run down every lead, no matter where it starts.”
Both suspects face federal charges as the investigation continues to widen.