Michigan men plotted Halloween massacre in Detroit suburb, FBI says; 2 charged

FIRST ON FOX: Two Michigan men have been charged in a foiled ISIS-inspired terror attack that allegedly would have involved a massacre in a Detroit suburb on Halloween, according to an FBI affidavit.

Mohmed Ali, of Dearborn, Michigan, and Majed Mahmoud are accused of plotting to launch a terror-inspired mass shooting codenamed “pumpkin,” according to court documents. They’ve been charged with receiving, transferring and attempting to receive and transfer firearms knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that they would be used to commit terrorism.

Ali practiced shooting at a local gun range multiple times, including with Mahmoud, a juvenile suspect referred to as “Person 1” and under the alias “Athari” — and once with an unnamed “Co-conspirator 4,” according to the complaint.

The charges come after a lawyer for one of the suspects, who was arrested Friday, claimed to The Associated Press that there was no plot and that he did not expect charges to be filed.

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In one exchange, intercepted by law enforcement, according to an affidavit, the unnamed juvenile suspect allegedly insisted that the attack should take place on Halloween and not a later date.

“So ya, I talked to my brothers. We are going to do pumpkin,” he allegedly told Ali. “I talked to…[Co-conspirator 4] and [Co-conspirator 5], they said it is getting bad. So we got to do pumpkin, ya.”

Read the complaint:

Before they could act, however, authorities served federal search warrants on both men’s homes and a storage unit in nearby Inkster, recovering three AR-15-style rifles, two shotguns, four pistols and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, along with other evidence including GoPro cameras, tactical vests and other gear.

“With today’s unsealed criminal complaint, the American people can see the results of months of tireless investigative work where the FBI acted quickly and likely saved many lives,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital. “We’ll continue to follow the facts, uphold the law, and deliver justice for the American people.”

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The alleged plot began on Sept. 1 and was supposed to be launched against the public on Halloween, but federal authorities said they thwarted the attack.

The complaint includes multiple unnamed co-conspirators who allegedly practiced shooting at ranges with Ali and Mahmoud. They also allegedly scouted potential attack locations in Ferndale, Michigan, a suburb north of Detroit known in part for its LGBT nightlife.

The scouting trip stood out to investigators as particularly suspicious because none of the suspects are over 21, according to the complaint.

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Ali and Athari, the juvenile suspect’s alias, were allegedly planning to do the “same thing as France,” in an alleged reference to the Nov. 13, 2015 ISIS attack in France that left 137 dead and more than 400 injured after gunmen and suicide bombers launched a coordinated assault on multiple locations in the French capital.

“Co-conspirator 1” allegedly met with Ali and Athari in late June and early July before traveling abroad. When he returned to the U.S., Customs and Border Patrol agents asked to review his phone — where they allegedly found Google searches involving “ISIS,” the “Islamic State” and selfies showing Co-conspirator 1 wearing tactical gear and holding weapons.

Although ISIS suffered a military defeat in 2019 at the hands of the U.S. and allied forces, the group continues to operate as a terror network, according to the complaint.

The accused conspirators allegedly shared Islamic extremist content on social media, including in WhatsApp group chats, Instagram and on Discord, and allegedly went to the father of a local “Islamic extremist ideologue” for advice after zeroing in on Halloween as the day to launch the attack.

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Ali and Mahmoud were both legally able to purchase firearms, and investigators allegedly uncovered numerous purchases of guns and modifications through bank records and his browsing history, according to the complaint.

The weapons included a 12-gauge Beretta A300 Ultima Competition shotgun, a Daniel Defense M4 V7 rifle, multiple models of 5.56 rifles from Palmetto State Armory, and a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol. They also bought more than 1,600 5.56 rounds and had it shipped to Mahmoud, according to the affidavit.