2 Men Charged for Allegedly Plotting ISIS-Linked Halloween Attack

Two men with links to the ISIS terrorist group who had purchased high-powered weapons and practiced at gun ranges were planning a violent attack over the Halloween weekend in suburban Detroit, federal authorities alleged on Nov. 3 in a criminal complaint filing terrorism charges against the pair.

The two 20-year-old men—Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud—and their coconspirators, including a minor identified as Person 1, were allegedly inspired by ISIS terrorism to carry out the alleged plot, according to a 72-page criminal complaint unsealed in federal court on Nov. 3.

Ali and Mahmoud were allegedly scouting potential LGBT bars in Ferndale as a possible venue for the attack, according to the complaint.

The two were arrested by federal authorities on Oct. 31 after FBI agents had monitored them for weeks. The court filing noted that agents even positioned a camera on a pole outside a residence in Dearborn to surveil Ali and Mahmoud.

Both were charged with receiving and transferring firearms and ammunition for terrorism. Ali and Mahmoud briefly appeared in federal court on Nov. 3 and will stay in custody until at least their scheduled Nov. 10 detention hearing.

“According to the complaint, subjects had multiple AR-15 rifles, tactical gear, and a detailed plan to carry out an attack on American soil,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media. “Our American heroes prevented a terror attack.”

The FBI said on Oct. 31 that it had prevented a potential terrorist attack over Halloween weekend after arresting multiple suspects in Michigan.

FBI Director Kash Patel did not offer further details on the plot or the suspects.

The Dearborn Police Department also confirmed on social media that it was aware that the FBI was conducting operations in Dearborn early on Oct. 31.

The defense attorneys for Ali and Mahmoud, William Swor and Amir Makled, declined to comment after the court appearance on Nov. 3. Over the weekend, Makled seemingly brushed off the allegations and suggested they were coming from “hysteria” and “fear-mongering.”

In August and September, Ali purchased a shotgun, an AR-15-style rifle, and multiple firearm accessories, including a forced reset trigger that lets the shooter increase the rate of fire in semiautomatic weapons, the government’s complaint alleged.

Mahmoud also allegedly purchased an AR-15-style rifle and multiple firearm accessories in September and bought more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition a month later.

Members of the group charged—Ali, Mahmoud, Person 1, and two coconspirators—allegedly practiced shooting at gun ranges on at least five separate instances in September and October, according to the complaint. The FBI said it believed these exercises were to “develop their firearm skills in furtherance of an attack.”

The five suspects also allegedly kept in regular communication with one another and with other individuals who separately indicated possessing knowledge of the “potential attack plans and related information.”

The group used online encrypted communications and social media apps to share “extremist and ISIS-related materials that encourage attacks similar to what they planned,” the FBI alleged.

Ali and Person 1 discussed the timing of their planned attack, which they were set to carry out on Halloween after seeking guidance from the father of a “local Islamic extremist ideologue,” the complaint alleged.

The FBI also accused Ali, Mahmoud, and Person 1 of meeting at parks in or around Dearborn on multiple evenings in October before traveling together to scout potential attack target locations in Ferndale.

The FBI alleged that Ali, Mahmoud, and Person 1 were scouting three clubs in Ferndale on Woodward Avenue near East Nine Mile, an area the agency said intentionally attracts members of the LGBT community. Since all three are under 21 years old, the FBI said it is unlikely they were traveling to the area to “patronize these clubs or drink alcohol.”

Based on its investigation, the FBI alleged that Ali, Mahmoud, and Person 1 were scouting possible attack locations that are LGBT-friendly in Ferndale.

FBI agents also interviewed Person 1 in September and said that the suspect admitted during the interview to belonging to three chat groups on the online communications application Discord. Two of the groups were called “Islamic State Lasting” and “Islamic State of America,” the latter of which featured messages about alleged plans to attack the Chicago Pride Parade on June 8.

“We are planning on starting with a couple small attacks to get noticed and then start growing from there inshallah,” the member of the Discord group allegedly posted.

“Inshallah” means “if Allah wills it.”

The FBI said Person 1 admitted to being assigned the role of “potential mujahid” in the “Islamic State Lasting” chat group, which consisted of 20 active and 50 inactive members.

The FBI said, based on its investigations into ISIS members and supporters, that “mujahid” refers to a “holy warrior engaged in violent jihad.”

On Oct. 31, FBI agents searched Ali and Mahmoud’s residences and uncovered various weapons and supplies, including three AR-15-style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition compatible with the rifles, optical sights, two GoPro cameras, a flash suppressor, tactical vests, and other related firearms parts and accessories.

Agents also found two more chest rig vests, two black tactical backpacks, and 24 empty magazines compatible with three seized AR-15-style rifles after searching a storage unit Ali was renting.

Ferndale is just north of Detroit and attracts tens of thousands of people to its Pride parade every year.

Former Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter, who is now the county executive of Oakland County, Michigan, and is gay, said that hearing about Ali and Mahmoud’s alleged plot was “disturbing.”

“The pain of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando, Florida, nine years ago while I was serving as mayor of Ferndale is still deeply felt in the community,” Coulter said, referencing the 2016 killing of 49 people at the LGBT-friendly nightclub in central Florida.

The case is the second since May involving alleged plots near Detroit involving members of ISIS. The FBI recently said it arrested a man who was spending months planning an attack at an Army location in Warren. The suspect—Ammar Said—has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Mohmed Ali, one of the suspects listed in the criminal complaint. The Epoch Times regrets the error.