The FBI arrested several suspects on Friday who were allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in Michigan over the Halloween weekend, Director Kash Patel said.
“This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” Patel wrote in a statement on X.
Federal agents took five people from Dearborn and Inkster, Michigan, into custody for an alleged plot to conduct an attack in the U.S. that has a connection to ISIS extremism, according to three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
The officials said the group had discussed carrying out some sort of terror attack around Halloween — or what they allegedly referred to as “pumpkin day.” The officials said that was why the FBI made the arrests Friday, even though it was not immediately clear if the suspects had decided on a set time to try to move forward with any attack.
It was also not immediately clear what, if any, specific targets had been identified.
Two officials said investigators are looking into whether the group was self-radicalized.
The names of the five individuals have not yet been made public as the court documents appear to still be sealed. Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation say that the suspects did have access to guns.
Officials stressed there is no current threat to the public. Law enforcement was able to monitor the group in the greater Detroit area in the past several days at a minimum to make sure no actual attack happened, the officials said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a post on X that Patel briefed her “on the thwarted potential terrorist attack in our state” Friday morning.
“As details continue to develop, I am grateful for the swift action of the FBI and MSP protecting Michiganders,” she wrote.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said state authorities were “in consultation with the FBI” on the arrests.
Dearborn police confirmed in a Facebook post that the FBI carried out an operation there on Friday morning.
“The Dearborn Police Department has been made aware that the FBI conducted operations in the City of Dearborn earlier this morning,” police said, before adding that there was no threat to the public.
@ NBC News
