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‘People Would Have Died’: FBI Says Halloween Operation Stopped ISIS-Linked Michigan Plot and Uncovered Global Network

Key points: The FBI says it disrupted an ISIS-linked plot planned for Halloween in Michigan and, through a coordinated investigation, uncovered an international network. Two Dearborn men — Mohamed Ali and Majed Mahmoud — face federal charges related to weapons transfers and material support for terrorism; five people are believed to have been involved, including a minor. Authorities recovered multiple firearms, tactical gear and over 1,600 rounds of ammunition, and surveillance footage showed suspects training at a gun range. FBI leaders defended the timing of arrests, saying the approach allowed them to expose overseas links and prevent mass casualties.

10:00 PM, 11/24/2025Security
‘People Would Have Died’: FBI Says Halloween Operation Stopped ISIS-Linked Michigan Plot and Uncovered Global Network

The FBI says an October operation in Michigan prevented a large-scale terror attack planned for the Halloween weekend and, through careful investigative work, exposed an international network linked to the plot. Senior bureau officials described the coordinated arrests as among the most consequential in recent counterterrorism efforts.

Operation and arrests

Federal authorities carried out coordinated arrests in multiple U.S. cities, including Detroit, Newark and Seattle, and have reported related arrests overseas. Two men from Dearborn, Michigan — Mohamed Ali and Majed Mahmoud — have been federally charged with transferring firearms and ammunition while knowing the weapons would be used to support terrorism, and with providing material support to ISIS. Officials say the conspiracy involved five people in total, including one minor.

Evidence recovered

Search warrants executed in October at the homes of Ali and Mahmoud and at a shared storage unit recovered multiple semiautomatic rifles, a shotgun, handguns, tactical gear and more than 1,600 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, according to authorities. Investigators also recovered surveillance footage that shows Ali and alleged co-conspirators practicing at a Michigan gun range, which the affidavit says was part of their preparation for the planned attack.

Investigative strategy and timing

FBI leaders said agents arrested the individuals identified as the overt actors immediately while continuing to surveil others believed to be part of the broader network. Officials emphasized that the staggered, coordinated approach allowed investigators to identify and disrupt related activity abroad. A senior counterterrorism agent involved with the case said that moving too soon would have prevented authorities from exposing the wider network.

“People would have died. A lot of them. That’s a fact. A lot of people would have died,” said Deputy Director Dan Bongino, praising the teams responsible for the takedown.

Motivations and context

According to an FBI affidavit, investigators allege the conspirators drew inspiration from the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting and the coordinated 2015 terror attacks in Paris. The affidavit also says the suspects sought religious approval from a local figure described as the father of an extremist ideologue and discussed selecting a date with symbolic resonance for other radicals.

Ongoing prosecutions

Officials declined to provide further details about the investigation because prosecutions are ongoing in the U.S. and Europe. Authorities say the coordinated arrests and subsequent activity overseas disrupted what they characterize as a potentially deadly plot and helped identify additional suspects connected to the same network.

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