A former U.S. Navy sailor, Xuanyu Harry Pang, has admitted in federal court to conspiring to carry out an attack on Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Illinois.
The 38-year-old from North Chicago pleaded guilty to charges related to attempting to destroy national defense material, premises, and utilities.
This plot, which he intended to carry out on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was designed to harm U.S. national defense operations.
His guilty plea was entered in November 2024 and was unsealed recently.
The Origins of the Plot: A Revenge-Fueled Scheme
Court documents reveal that the plan began in the summer of 2021 when Pang communicated with a person in Colombia.
They discussed potentially helping Iranian actors execute an attack on U.S. soil, in retaliation for the death of General Qasem Soleimani, an IRGC Quds Force leader killed by the U.S. military in 2020.
The Quds Force is responsible for conducting covert operations and intelligence activities outside of Iran.
An undercover FBI agent, posing as a member of the Quds Force, then took part in these discussions.
This agent connected with Pang through the intermediary in Colombia, who then introduced Pang to the operation.
At the time, Pang was stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes, where he was actively involved in planning the attack.
Coordinating the Attack: Pang’s Involvement
Pang’s role in the plot deepened over the course of 2022.
In the fall of that year, he met with an individual working for the FBI three times. These meetings took place in Chicago and Lake Bluff, Illinois.
During one of the meetings, Pang displayed photos and videos from within the Naval Station to help plan the attack.
He also provided two U.S. military uniforms for use by operatives during the operation and handed over a cell phone intended to be used as a detonator test device.
The plot began to take more shape as Pang worked alongside the FBI’s undercover agents to plan the details of the attack, focusing specifically on Naval Station Great Lakes and other locations in the Chicago area.
Consequences and Legal Action
Following his guilty plea, Pang remains detained without bond and is awaiting sentencing.
He faces up to 20 years in prison, with the final sentence to be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider various legal factors before making a decision.
The case has been investigated by the FBI Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, a collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service also assisted with the investigation.
The Legal Team and Prosecution
The prosecution of Pang is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Bond, Vikas Didwania, and Brandon Stone, as well as trial attorneys John Cella and Charles Kovats from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The Justice Department’s National Security Division, along with Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual and FBI officials, made the announcement of Pang’s guilty plea.
This case highlights the ongoing efforts by U.S. law enforcement to thwart terrorism-related activities and protect national security from potential threats.