Two Michigan men charged in alleged Halloween terror plot
Two suspects face federal charges Monday of planning a terrorist attack during the Halloween holiday in Michigan.
Five people have been arrested, but only two have been charged in a 73-page criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, FBI Director Kash Patel announced in an X post last week.
Muhammad Ali and Majed Mahmoud are charged with receiving, transferring, attempting and conspiring to transfer firearms and ammunition, knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that the firearms and ammunition will be used to commit a federal terrorist offense.
They are expected to appear in court Monday afternoon.
According to the complaint, Ali and an unnamed juvenile were referenced in third-party communications from July to October of this year. The talks stated that the “Brotherhood” were planning to carry out an attack on behalf of the terrorist organization “Islamic State.”
Ali allegedly purchased a shotgun, an AR-15-style rifle and other firearms accessories in August and September, the same time third-party conversations indicated an attack, according to the complaint.
One of the accessories he purchased was a “forced reset trigger that allows a shooter to increase the rate of fire of a semi-automatic weapon,” the complaint alleges.
Mahmoud also allegedly purchased an AR-15-style rifle in September, then purchased more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition a month later, according to the complaint.
The two men and the juvenile practiced shooting at several gun ranges in September and October, the complaint said.
They and two other alleged conspirators were using encrypted communications and social media applications “to share extremist and ISIS-related material that encourages attacks similar to what they planned,” the complaint said.
Federal agents found AR-15-style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns and ammunition as well as tactical vests and GoPro cameras at Ali and Mahmoud’s home, according to the complaint. Agents also confiscated two tactical backpacks, vests and 24 empty magazines in a storage unit allegedly rented by Ali.
Amir Maklad, who represents Ali, described his client as a 20-year-old U.S. citizen “with a legitimate interest in recreational firearms.”
“There is absolutely no evidence of a terrorist plot or a ‘mass casualty’ plot,” Moqled said on Saturday in a statement.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.