Federal authorities have arrested two individuals, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, in connection with an alleged ISIS-inspired plot to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States, according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The men were formally charged on November 1, 2025, with receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to transfer, firearms and ammunition, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a Federal crime of terrorism.
This charge relates to their conspiracy to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization ISIS.
Extremist Influence and “Pumpkin” Plotting
The criminal complaint is based on an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Nicholas Czech, which details months of alleged planning and preparation by Ali, Mahmoud, a teen identified as “Person 1,” and other co-conspirators.
The investigation revealed a plot involving acquiring an arsenal of weapons, practicing shooting, and scouting potential attack locations.
In July 2025, encrypted communications allegedly referenced Ali and an unnamed teen as “brothers” planning a U.S. attack on behalf of ISIS, specifically referencing doing the “same thing as France,” which authorities believe refers to the deadly 2015 Paris attacks. Between August and October 2025, Ali and Mahmoud allegedly purchased multiple firearms, including AR-15 style rifles and a shotgun, along with high-rate-of-fire accessories and over 1,600 rounds of ammunition.
Further steps in the alleged plot included practicing with the purchased firearms at local gun ranges multiple times in September and October 2025. Phone records placed Ali, Mahmoud, and the teen in downtown Ferndale, Michigan, on two separate nights in September, an area containing numerous bars and clubs. This movement is seen as consistent with an earlier statement by a co-conspirator that the attack would likely be at “like a club, a disco.”
Authorities found that in late October, Ali and the teen discussed their “attack,” repeatedly referencing “pumpkin,” believed to be a code word for Halloween (October 31, 2025), as the potential date for the operation.
Consulting a Dearborn Extremist’s Father
The FBI alleges that the juvenile co-conspirator was a follower of a Dearborn-based extremist Islamic preacher identified in reports as Ahmad Musa Jibril, whom the FBI has previously named as an ideological inspiration for ISIS supporters.
The FBI noted the teen had reposted content from Jibril on social media, demonstrating support for the Islamic Ideologue’s views.
Moreover, before the federal agents made arrests on Friday, the teen allegedly consulted Jibril’s father, Musa Abdullah Jibril, about the timing of the planned attack.
The juvenile allegedly called the elder Jibril, saying he intended to “do [a] good deed” but was unsure of “what day to do it.” The father of the Islamic Ideologue allegedly advised the juvenile that he “should not wait and should do the ‘good deed now,'” which the FBI believes was a reference to the Halloween terrorist conspiracy.
One of the charged defendants later expressed doubt, telling the juvenile that the religious scholar would not have offered that advice had he known precisely what they were planning. Both Ahmad Musa Jibril and his father were previously convicted of money laundering and other financial crimes in 2004.
Arsenal Seized and Lives Saved
The alleged plot was successfully disrupted on October 31, 2025, when federal agents executed search warrants at Ali’s residence, Mahmoud’s residence, and a storage unit rented by Ali.
The items seized included three AR-15 style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns, a large cache of ammunition, and multiple tactical items like chest rig vests and tactical backpacks.
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the swift action, stating, “This newly unsealed complaint reveals a major ISIS-linked terror plot with multiple subjects arrested in the Eastern District of Michigan targeting the United States. This plot was stopped before innocent lives were lost.” FBI Director Kash Patel added, “The American people can see the results of months of tireless investigative work where the FBI acted quickly and likely saved many lives.”
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