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The 28-year-old Long Beach man is behind the bar after federal authorities accused him of financially supporting ISIS and building what appears to be a homemade bomb in his home.
Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, a legal permanent resident from the Philippines, was arrested Friday morning after FBI agents stormed a settlement in the 3000 block of Caspian Avenue. Federal prosecutors said Villanueva expressed support for ISIS over online chats, sending money abroad to those who believed to be terrorist group fighters, even claiming he had the tools and willingness to carry out violence themselves.
Neighbors told KTLA that Villanueva had not raised any suspicions.
“I don’t know what to think. That’s a bit scary,” said Heliodro Becerra, who lives nearby. “You look at your neighbors, but you don’t know what they’re doing in their home.”
Agents with the FBI’s joint terrorism task force have recovered several knives and said what appears to be an improvised explosive device has been recovered from Villanueva’s bedroom. The device reportedly features ball bearings, wrapped in cellophane and attached with red and black wires. The US Lawyer’s Office has released a photo of the object.
The FBI raided a man’s house in Long Beach and found this suspected homemade bomb. July 2025 (FBI)
Authorities say Villanueva has used social media to communicate with individuals who claim to be ISIS fighters, pledge loyalty and express their desire to participate in their causes. In one exchange, the prosecutor said he wrote, “It is an honor to fight and die for our faith. It is the best way to go to heaven.”
He went on to say, “I will be in there soon.”
He also provided financial support. According to court documents, Villanueva asked ISIS’s contact details and whether his money would help cover the costs of his weapons and equipment. Records show that between February and July 2025, Villanueva sent a total of $1,615 payments to the West Union to intermediaries who accessed funds overseas.
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Retired Marine Corps intelligence agent Hal Kempfer warned that Villanueva may have been communicating with secret law enforcement, not real terrorists.
“There’s nothing in the criminal charge that makes it clear that he’s actually talking to ISIS,” Kempfer said. “He may have been talking to law enforcement agencies that are doing undercover online.”
Still, authorities say the incident underscores the ongoing threat of extremism in its country. “You probably won’t notice your self-destructive neighbor online at night,” Kempfer added.
Villanueva appeared in federal court on Friday afternoon, where the magistrate judge detained him without detention. His arrest is scheduled for August 15th at the Loibal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.
“Supporting terrorist groups, whether at home or abroad, is a serious risk to our national security,” said Bill Essay’s lawyer. “We will actively corner and prosecute those who provide support and comfort to our enemies.”
Patrick Grandi, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, added: “Thanks to the active efforts of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and our partners today have safely arrested Mr. Villanueva, preventing further support and dissemination of the ISIS ideology.”
Villanueva faces felony charges of trying to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations. If convicted, he could potentially be up to 20 years in federal prison.
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