FBI arrests two US citizens in Michigan for planning IS-inspired attack on LGBTQ clubs, seizing firearms and ammunition
WASHINGTON: Two Michigan men have been arrested for allegedly plotting to carry out an Islamic State-inspired attack over the Halloween weekend.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Friday that the bureau had thwarted a potential terrorist attack in the northern US state and made multiple arrests.
The criminal complaint accuses Mohmed Ali, Majed Mahmoud and other unnamed co-conspirators of planning to stage an attack in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb.
LGBTQ clubs and bars were identified as the potential target for the alleged attack.
Ali and Mahmoud, who are both US citizens, allegedly purchased firearms and ammunition and visited a gun range as part of their plot.
The complaint states they planned to commit a federal crime of terrorism through their actions.
In an early Friday raid on Ali’s and Mahmoud’s residences in Dearborn, FBI agents seized three AR-15 style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition.
The social media accounts of the two men contained numerous references to Islamic extremist and IS-related content.
Multiple references to pumpkin in online chats and telephone conversations led the FBI to believe the attack was planned for Halloween weekend.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the suspects had a detailed plan to carry out an attack on American soil.
“This plot was stopped before innocent lives were lost,” Bondi added on X. – AFP
