{"id":261196,"date":"2025-11-04T14:20:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T14:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/261196\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T14:20:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T14:20:11","slug":"key-moments-that-led-to-fbi-arrests-in-alleged-michigan-terrorist-plot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/261196\/","title":{"rendered":"Key moments that led to FBI arrests in alleged Michigan terrorist plot"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n A series of encrypted phone calls \u2013 secretly recorded by a confidential FBI source \u2013 tipped off federal agents that a group was allegedly planning to carry out a terrorist attack<\/a> in Michigan on behalf of ISIS, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday.\n <\/p>\n

\n Mohmed Ali, 20, and Majed Mahmoud, 20, face charges of \u201cReceiving 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,\u201d according to the criminal complaint.\n <\/p>\n

\n Federal officials have yet to charge a third person \u2013 a juvenile described throughout the complaint as Person 1 \u2013 in connection with the alleged plot.\n <\/p>\n

\n But the complaint details how agents doggedly surveilled the alleged co-conspirators for two months as they visited multiple gun ranges and held late-night meetings in local parks during what authorities allege was preparation for a possible terrorist attack.\n <\/p>\n

\n Then, based on what they believed to be references to a possible attack on Halloween, agents swooped in to seize the weapons and take the men into custody in the predawn hours of October 31.\n <\/p>\n

\n Here\u2019s what we know about how the investigation unfolded:\n <\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

FBI says it thwarted a potential terror attack\n <\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

FBI says it thwarted a potential terror attack<\/p>\n

3:40 <\/p>\n

\n According to an FBI affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, the agency began surveilling a man, described as \u201cco-conspirator 1,\u201d in 2024 as he traveled in the US and overseas.\n <\/p>\n

\n In June, agents allegedly tracked the man\u2019s phone to Dearborn, Michigan, and physical surveillance led them to Ali\u2019s home there, where he stayed for two nights.\n <\/p>\n

\n The following month, according to the FBI, the man joined a group call from overseas with five others \u2013 including an FBI confidential source, who recorded the meeting. Person 1, Mahmoud and Ali do not appear to have been part of this call.\n <\/p>\n

\n During the call, the group allegedly discussed \u201ctraveling together to Syria to join ISIS\u201d and co-conspirator 1 said they were \u201cgonna die there \u2026 unless,\u201d he told the group, \u201cthe Amir sends you to Paris for a 2015.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n A review of co-conspirator 1\u2019s cellphone allegedly revealed he had \u201cPerson 1\u2019s phone number saved in his phone under \u2018Athari\u2019 and ALI\u2019s phone number saved in his phone as \u2018Bukhari.\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n According to the complaint, one of the participants on the call also stated, \u201cAthari and Bukhari said they were going to stay back and do the \u2018same thing as France.\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cKnowing Athari, it\u2019s (the attack) probably going to be at like a club, a disco,\u201d co-conspirator 1 said, according to the complaint.\n <\/p>\n

\n The reference to Paris stood out to FBI counterterrorism experts. They concluded it was a thinly veiled nod to the coordinated ISIS-linked terrorist attacks that unfolded across Paris in November 2015<\/a>. More than 130 people were killed in the attacks and scores more were wounded.\n <\/p>\n

\n After studying the call, the FBI concluded an attack could be imminent and began keeping close tabs on Ali and Mahmoud.\n <\/p>\n

\n According to the complaint, in the months following the June meeting with \u201cco-conspirator 1,\u201d Ali allegedly purchased a Beretta A300 Ultimata Black Shotgun, a \u201cSabre\u201d Forged 16\u201d rifle, as well as a holographic sight \u201cbuilt for close-quarter engagements with fast moving targets.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Mahmoud also allegedly purchased a rifle and two boxes of ammunition with more than 800 rounds in each box. In October, he allegedly purchased a red dot sight, which provides \u201cthe shooter a single point of focus during the aiming process,\u201d according to the complaint.\n <\/p>\n

\n Then, in September and October, Ali, Mahmoud and Person 1 began practicing at local shooting ranges, under the watchful eye of FBI agents, the complaint states.\n <\/p>\n

\"Mohmed<\/p>\n

\n Security footage obtained by the FBI shows all three men visiting local gun ranges over the course of several weeks.\n <\/p>\n

\n On multiple occasions, undercover FBI agents entered the range and surveilled the men from nearby as they practiced firing weapons. Although the agents did not identify themselves, according to the complaint they observed the men practicing with guns and ammunition like those they had previously purchased.\n <\/p>\n

\n Although Ali, Mahmoud and Person 1 are all under 21, the complaint noted in September they began traveling to a popular area in Ferndale, Michigan, known for its bars and clubs.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cMany of the clubs and bars in this area intentionally attract members of the LGBTQ+ community,\u201d the complaint states.\n <\/p>\n

\n The following month, FBI agents \u201cobserved three individuals appearing to match the physical description\u201d of Person 1, Ali, and Mahmoud meeting at a local park in Dearborn, Michigan, around 9 p.m. They met up again the following week at another park.\n <\/p>\n

\n Since the men all live with their families, the FBI concluded the late-night meetups at the park \u201creflect their efforts to meet to plan an attack without being detected.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\"FBI<\/p>\n

\n In September and October, the FBI received court-approved authorization to surveil communications between Person 1, Ali and Mahmoud.\n <\/p>\n

\n In calls and messages, they found multiple mentions of \u201cpumpkin,\u201d which agents concluded was a reference to \u201cHalloween as the potential day for the attack they were plotting, an attack that they understood could result in their deaths and martyrdom.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cSo ya, I talked to my brothers. We are going to do pumpkin,\u201d Person 1 allegedly told Ali on October 24, according to the complaint.\n <\/p>\n

\n The FBI later notes in the complaint references to \u201cbrothers\u201d likely mean \u201cother ISIS supporters.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n As the Halloween weekend loomed, a judge authorized the execution of search warrants on Ali and Mahmoud\u2019s homes.\n <\/p>\n

\n In the predawn hours of October 31, FBI agents descended on the Detroit suburb where the men lived and detonated smoke bombs before storming into their homes.\n <\/p>\n

\n Both Ali and Mahmoud were arrested.\n <\/p>\n

\n FBI Director Kash Patel later tweeted about the foiled terrorist plot but offered little additional detail. As a result, some Dearborn residents speculated<\/a> whether the arrests were justified, or perhaps a way to profile the city\u2019s large Arab population, which has long been targeted for Islamophobic attacks.\n <\/p>\n

\n But on Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi boasted on X the unsealed criminal complaint revealed \u201ca major ISIS-linked terror plot.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cOur American heroes prevented a terror attack,\u201d Bondi wrote.\n <\/p>\n

\n Both Mahmoud and Ali were shackled as they were escorted into court Monday, according to CNN reporters who attended the hearing. Both men acknowledged they had read the complaint against them and understood the charges.\n <\/p>\n

\n Attorneys for both of the men briefly spoke to reporters after the hearing, but declined to comment.\n <\/p>\n

\n Co-conspirator 1 has not been charged.\n <\/p>\n

\n If convicted, Ali and Mahmoud could face up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, a spokesperson for the US Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN\u2019s Holly Yan, Jeff Winter and Leigh Waldman contributed to this report.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A series of encrypted phone calls \u2013 secretly recorded by a confidential FBI source \u2013 tipped off federal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261197,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[49,48,75,348],"class_list":["post-261196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}