2 Michigan men charged in alleged Halloween terror plot

Two suspects are facing federal charges Monday of planning a terror attack over Halloween weekend in Michigan.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced in a post on X last week that five people had been arrested, but only two were charged in a 73-page criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud are charged with receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to transfer, firearms and ammunition, knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that the firearms and ammunition would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.

They are expected to appear in court on 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 conversations stated that the “brothers” were planning to conduct an attack on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Ali allegedly purchased a shotgun, AR-15-style rifle and other firearm accessories in August and September, the same time the third-party conversations referred to 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 in a semiautomatic weapon,” the complaint alleges.

Mahmoud allegedly also purchased an AR-15-style rifle in September and then bought more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition a month later, according to the complaint.

The two men and the juvenile practiced shooting at multiple gun ranges in September and October, the complaint said.

They and two other alleged conspirators were using encrypted communication and social media applications “to share extremist and ISIS-related materials that encourage attacks similar to what they planned,” the complaint said.

Federal agents recovered AR-15-style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns and ammunition in addition to tactical vests and GoPro cameras at Ali and Mahmoud’s residence, according to the complaint. Agents also seized two tactical backpacks, chest-rig vests and 24 empty magazines at a storage unit allegedly rented by Ali.

Amir Makled, who represents Ali, described his client as a 20-year-old U.S. citizen “with a lawful interest in recreational firearms.”

“There is no evidence whatsoever of a planned terror or ‘mass casualty’ plot,” Makled said Saturday in a statement.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.