Two Dearborn men and a group of alleged co-conspirators hatched a plan to commit a terrorist attack in support of the Islamic State, according to a federal criminal case filed Monday that described reconnaissance, firearms and fears the group was targeting an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Ferndale.
The case against Dearborn residents Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud was filed three days after high-profile raids by members of an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Dearborn and Inkster and comments from FBI Director Kash Patel that investigators had thwarted a violent plot tied to international terrorism that was planned over the Halloween weekend.
The criminal complaint describes a group of five co-conspirators, including a juvenile, training with and stockpiling weapons and scouting potential attack locations in downtown Ferndale. The popular downtown is filled with restaurants, bars, clubs and shops and is known as a haven for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Based on my investigation in this case, this information is consistent with (the juvenile), Ali and Mahmoud scouting possible LGBTQ+-friendly attack locations in Ferndale,” FBI Special Agent Nicholas Czech wrote in the complaint.
The men, whose ages were not immediately available, were charged with receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to transfer firearms and ammunition while knowing or having reasonable cause to believe the weapons would be used to commit an act of terrorism. The felony carries a maximum 15-year federal prison sentence.
The charge was filed three days after FBI agents raided two homes in Dearborn and an Inkster storage facility and arrested five people ages 16-20.
Mahmoud’s lawyer Bill Swor declined to comment until he had a chance to read the criminal complaint.
Attorney Amir Makled, who represents a 20-year-old Dearborn man, has denied the men were involved in terrorism.
“One thing is for sure, they didn’t have a plan to attack and are not part of a terror cell,” Makled told The News.
Ali, Mahmoud and others are accused of using online encrypted communications and social media apps to share extremist and ISIS-related material that encouraged terror attacks.
Based on the chats, an attack appeared scheduled for Halloween, according to the government, and Ali and the juvenile “sought guidance from the father of a local Islamic extremist ideologue…on this question,” the FBI agent wrote.
The ideologue is not identified by name but “has publicly proclaimed his support for the Islamic extremist ideology espoused by ISIS,” the agent wrote.
Since the raids, provocative statements from FBI Director Kash Patel and other Trump administration officials, a lack of criminal charges or details about alleged wrongdoing, or names of the accused, led criminal defense lawyers in Metro Detroit to question the legitimacy of the investigation and deny there was a terrorist plot.
The court filing describes talk of a terror attack, firearms and training.
The investigation dates to July, when investigators discovered encrypted chats in which Ali and a juvenile were said to be planning a terrorist attack in the U.S. on behalf of the Islamic State, according to the 73-page criminal complaint.
FBI agents alleged Mahmoud and others conspired to commit the attack.
Amid those chats, Ali purchased an AR-15-style rifle and accessories in August and September, according to the government.
“Then in October 2025, Mahmoud purchased over 1,600 rounds of ammunition that could be used in the AR-15 style rifles he and Ali had purchased,” the complaint reads.
Investigators allege Ali, Mahmoud, the juvenile and two others practiced shooting firearms at gun ranges, a stop investigators believe was to develop the skills to aid in the attack.
The investigation is the latest in Metro Detroit, a region where several residents in recent years have been accused of providing or trying to provide support to the Islamic State or launching failed attempts to kill people.
“Through swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a potential act of terror was stopped before it could unfold,” Patel said in a social media post. “The vigilance of this FBI prevented what could have been a tragic attack — and thanks to their dedication, Michigan will have a safe and happy Halloween.”
In the wake of the raid, Makled faulted Patel for making “premature” comments about the investigation. The five people arrested by the FBI ― all U.S. citizens ― were not planning an attack, he said.
“There was never any planned mass-casualty event or terrorism plot of any kind that I’m aware of,” Makled said. “They might have been on some websites or online chat groups that they shouldn’t have been, but nothing that is illegal.”
Come back to www.detroitnews.com for more on this developing story.
