Federal agents arrested five people in metro Detroit on October 31, 2025, disrupting what prosecutors describe as an ISIS attack plot in Michigan aimed at LGBTQ+ bars and clubs in Ferndale over Halloween weekend. Three Dearborn men — Mohmed Ali, 20, Majed Mahmoud, 20, and Ayob Nasser, 19 — have been indicted on federal terrorism and firearms conspiracy charges, remain in custody without bond, and are scheduled for trial on August 5, 2026. Two minors from Dearborn and two men from Montclair, New Jersey, face related charges, and the government has described the broader investigation as involving at least eight people across multiple states.
What the Plot Allegedly Targeted
The 73-page federal criminal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges the group used the code word “pumpkin” for their planned attack date and intended to replicate the November 2015 Paris attacks and the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. On one recorded call, a participant said the attack would “probably be at like a club, a disco.”1CNN. FBI Investigation Michigan Terrorist Plot
In September 2025, the suspects and an unnamed juvenile made trips to Ferndale, a Detroit suburb with bars and clubs serving the LGBTQ+ community, which investigators interpreted as scouting for an attack site. The group also held late-night meetings at parks in Dearborn, which authorities said were intended to avoid detection.2NBC News. 2 Michigan Men Charged in Alleged Halloween Terror Plot
Court documents disclosed a second, earlier threat: the suspects had posted on a social media platform used by ISIS supporters about attacking the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade “with a backpack.” That attack never occurred, and Pride Chicago officials said they first learned of the threat from media inquiries in November 2025.3ABC 7 Chicago. Suspects Charged in Alleged Michigan Anti-LGBTQ Halloween Terror Plot Eyed Attack on 2024 Chicago Pride Parade
On October 24, 2025, one week before Halloween, a juvenile co-conspirator allegedly told Ali, “So ya, I talked to my brothers. We are going to do pumpkin.” Two days before Halloween, the juvenile relayed instructions from someone described as holding “radical Islamic views” to perform a “good deed” immediately. Ali indicated he would contact Mahmoud.2NBC News. 2 Michigan Men Charged in Alleged Halloween Terror Plot
Who Was Arrested and What They’re Charged With
The Department of Justice unsealed the initial criminal complaint on November 3, 2025, charging Ali and Mahmoud with receiving, transferring, and conspiring to transfer firearms and ammunition knowing they would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.4U.S. Department of Justice. Multiple Suspects Charged With Having Firearms, Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to ISIS
Nasser was arrested on November 5, 2025, and an amended complaint upgraded the charges against all three to include conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and possessing firearms intended for use in an act of terrorism on behalf of ISIS.5U.S. Department of Justice. Third Suspect Arrested and Charged Along With Two Current Defendants A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against all three on November 12, 2025, charging them with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to receive and transfer firearms and ammunition to commit a federal crime of terrorism. The material support count carries up to 20 years in prison; the firearms conspiracy count carries up to 15.6The Arab American News. Three Young Dearborn Men Plead Not Guilty to Terrorism Charges
Two Montclair, New Jersey men were charged in the broader conspiracy. Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, 19, faces one count of conspiracy and one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; prosecutors allege he volunteered to conduct ISIS-style on-camera beheadings and discussed traveling from Turkey to Syria. One of the New Jersey suspects was arrested at Newark International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Istanbul. Milo Sedarat, 21, is charged with two counts of transmitting a threat in interstate or foreign commerce, each carrying up to five years.7Fox News. Suspected Suburban Jihadists Shared ISIS-Style Selfies, Joked About FBI Reading Group Chat Two Dearborn minors face separate federal juvenile charges.6The Arab American News. Three Young Dearborn Men Plead Not Guilty to Terrorism Charges
What Investigators Seized
FBI agents executed search warrants in the predawn hours of October 31 at the suspects’ residences and a storage unit rented by Ali. According to the complaint, they recovered multiple AR-15-style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, tactical vests, two tactical backpacks, chest-rig vests, 24 empty magazines, GoPro cameras, and a “forced reset trigger” Ali had purchased for a semiautomatic weapon.2NBC News. 2 Michigan Men Charged in Alleged Halloween Terror Plot
Between September and October 2025, prosecutors say, the group purchased firearms including a Beretta A300 shotgun and multiple rifles, and practiced shooting at indoor ranges across Michigan and at outdoor locations.8Politico. Justice Department Michigan Terrorism Charges
How the FBI Built the Case
The investigation began in 2024 when a Customs and Border Protection agent reviewed a co-conspirator’s phone and found Google searches for “ISIS” and “Islamic State,” along with images of the individual in military-style clothing with weapons.9ABC News. 2 U.S. Citizens Arrested in Alleged ISIS-Inspired Halloween Plot By June 2025, agents had tracked that person to Dearborn and identified Ali as a central figure.
Over the following months, the FBI used confidential informants, surveilled the suspects at gun ranges, and monitored encrypted communications. On a recorded group call in July 2025, an overseas co-conspirator discussed traveling to Syria to join ISIS and carrying out “the same thing as France,” which investigators read as a reference to the Paris attacks. The group also exchanged ISIS propaganda through encrypted messaging apps.1CNN. FBI Investigation Michigan Terrorist Plot
Where the Case Stands
The Michigan case, United States v. Ali (Case No. 2:25-cr-20842), has been designated complex and assigned to District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith. All three Dearborn defendants pleaded not guilty on November 17, 2025, before Magistrate Judge Kimberly G. Altman, waived a formal detention hearing, and remain in federal custody without bond.6The Arab American News. Three Young Dearborn Men Plead Not Guilty to Terrorism Charges
Trial is set for August 5, 2026. Defense attorneys have filed a motion to disclose and suppress materials gathered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the plea cutoff was set for June 29, 2026.10CourtListener. United States v. Ali Docket
The two New Jersey defendants have reached plea deals. Jimenez-Guzel was scheduled to enter a guilty plea on July 9, 2026, and Sedarat agreed to plead guilty to one count of concealment of material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. According to prosecutors, after the Michigan arrests became public, Jimenez-Guzel held a conference call with co-conspirators and said, “Five of us are in the article and the feds… they’re gonna be looking for us soon. If we don’t leave, we are cooked.”11New York Post. NJ Jihadi Yuppies Set to Plead Guilty as One Blames Post-Oct. 7 Social Media for Radicalization
How the Communities Responded
In Ferndale, Julia Music, executive director of Ferndale PRIDE, called the news “very disturbing” and said she was “reshaping security plans” for future events. “We’ll rise above this. We always do,” she said.12WXYZ Detroit. Ferndale Responds to Alleged Foiled Terror Plot Targeting LGBTQ+ Venues Soho, one of Ferndale’s LGBTQ+ bars, called the targeting “abhorrent” while saying the venue felt safe due to its relationship with local police. Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, a former Ferndale mayor, said the “pain of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando nine years ago is still deeply felt in the community.”13Pride Source. Ferndale Terror Plot
In Dearborn, the predawn raids drew a very different reaction. Nasser Beydoun, president of the Arab American Civil Rights League, said the headlines have a “direct and damaging impact” on Dearborn and accused the government of “depicting the situation in the worst possible light.” Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR-Michigan, said community members’ reaction was: “Here we go again — the government is setting up or entrapping young people.” Defense attorneys Hussein Bazzi and Amir Makled denied the existence of a terror plot, describing their clients as recreational firearm and video-game enthusiasts and calling the government’s case “fear-mongering.” Those claims remain to be tested at trial.14The Arab American News. FBI Raids in Dearborn Spark Outrage and Doubt in the Arab American Community
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the operation on October 31, 2025, saying the FBI had “thwarted a potential terrorist attack,” and later said investigators “likely saved many lives.”15CNBC. FBI Kash Patel Michigan Terrorist Halloween Arrests4U.S. Department of Justice. Multiple Suspects Charged With Having Firearms, Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to ISIS Attorney General Pam Bondi said the complaint revealed “a major ISIS-linked terror plot” and that the suspects “had multiple AR-15 rifles, tactical gear, and a detailed plan to carry out an attack on American soil.”16CNN. Dearborn FBI Raid Terror Attack Skepticism
Other Recent Michigan ISIS Cases
The Halloween prosecution follows two other ISIS-related cases in Michigan’s Eastern District. In May 2025, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, a 19-year-old former Michigan Army National Guard member from Melvindale, was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command facility in Warren on behalf of ISIS. He faces up to 20 years on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and distributing information related to a destructive device.17U.S. Department of Justice. Michigan Man Arrested and Charged With Attempting to Attack Military Base on Behalf of ISIS CBS News reported that one or more of the Halloween plot suspects may have known Said.18CBS News. FBI Potential Terrorist Attack Thwarted in Michigan
On May 7, 2026, Aws Mohammed Naser, 38, of Westland, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and being a felon in possession of a destructive device. An FBI search of his home in October 2017 uncovered a bomb-making lab in his basement containing precursor chemicals and a ready-to-assemble explosive device.19U.S. Department of Justice. Michigan Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS