DETROIT (AP) — Two men were charged with terrorism-related crimes in the Detroit area after federal authorities made arrests and seized a cache of weapons last week in a storage unit and elsewhere, officials said Monday.
The men had scouted LGBTQ+ bars in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb, according to a 72-page criminal complaint unsealed in federal court.
"Our American heroes prevented a terror attack," U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel had announced arrests Friday, but no details were released at the time while agents searched a home in Dearborn and a storage unit in nearby Inkster.
The court filing says the two men who were charged, Momed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, and other co-conspirators were inspired by Islamic State extremism. Investigators say a minor was also involved in the discussions.
The FBI said the men repeatedly referred to “pumpkins” in their conversations, a reference to a Halloween attack.
Ali and Mahmoud were charged with receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism. Mahmoud had recently bought more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition that could be used for AR-15-style rifles he and Ali possessed, and they practiced at gun ranges, the government alleged.
They will appear in court Monday afternoon for their initial appearance. Mahmoud's lawyer, William Swor, declined to comment. Messages seeking comment from Ali's lawyer, Amir Makled, were not immediately answered.
Over the weekend, Makled seemed to wave off the allegations, saying they were the result of “hysteria” and “fearmongering.”
FBI agents were surveilling the men for weeks, even using a camera on a pole outside a Dearborn house, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators got access to encrypted chats and other conversations.
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