Two men have been charged with terrorism-related offences in the Detroit area over an alleged Halloween-inspired plot targeting LGBTQ+ bars, US authorities confirmed on Monday. The charges follow arrests last week and the seizure of weapons from a storage unit and other locations.
A 72-page criminal complaint unsealed in federal court alleges that Momed Ali and Majed Mahmoud scouted LGBTQ+ venues in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb, and were inspired by Islamic State extremism. Investigators say a minor was also involved in the discussions.
The FBI said the men repeatedly used the code word “pumpkins” in conversations as a reference to a Halloween attack. The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, stated: “Our American heroes prevented a terror attack.”
Ali and Mahmoud were charged with receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism. They were scheduled to appear in court on Monday for their initial hearing. 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 appeared to dismiss the allegations, describing them as the result of “hysteria” and “fearmongering”. The FBI director, Kash Patel, had announced the arrests on Friday, but no details were released at the time while agents searched a home in Dearborn and a storage unit near Inkster.
