The federal government has charged two Michigan men after they allegedly conspired to commit an act of terrorism over Halloween weekend, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday.
Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both residents of Dearborn, have been charged with gun crimes. The criminal complaint also references two co-conspirators and a juvenile in the alleged plot.
According to the criminal complaint that detailed an investigation spanning several months, the conspirators had purchased multiple AR-15-style weapons, tactical gear, and had been documented practicing at local gun ranges and looking for possible attack locations.
Read the full complaint below:
Conversations between the five individuals, who reportedly referred to themselves as "brothers," happened on encrypted communication applications and referenced an attack on "pumpkin day," which the feds believe was in reference to Halloween.
“I gotta do the pumpkin for real . . . if [UI] don’t do the pumpkin I’m gonna slit my wrists," Ali said, according to the criminal complaint.
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The complaint says that Ali and Mahmoud traveled together and scouted possible attack locations in Ferndale on Sept.19 and Sept. 20, including three bars on Woodward Avenue.
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"Given that Person 1, Ali, and Mahmoud are all under twenty-one-years old and based on what I have learned during this investigation, I believe it is unlikely Person 1, Ali, and Mahmoud would have traveled to this area at this time to patronize these clubs or drink alcohol," the criminal complaint reads.
During the raids conducted at homes in Dearborn on Friday, Oct. 31, agents recovered three AR-15 style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition compatible with the rifles.
They also found optical sights, two GoPro cameras, a flash suppressor, tactical vests and other related firearms parts and accessories.
Separately, in a storage unit in Inkster where agents also searched, they found two more chest rig vests, tactical backpacks and 24 empty magazines compatible with the three seized AR-15 style rifles.
The complaint comes after FBI Director Kash Patel announced on social media on Friday that the agency had thwarted a potential terror attack planned for Halloween weekend in Michigan.
Over the weekend, a Michigan defense attorney representing one of the suspects disputed Patel's claim.
This story was originally published by the web staff with the Scripps News Group station in Detroit.
