Two Men Charged in Halloween Terror Plot, Accused of Transferring Guns and Ammunition for a Terrorist Attack
On November 3, 2025, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both 20 and from Dearborn in Wayne County, Michigan, were charged in federal court. The criminal complaint unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan charges the two with receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to transfer, firearms and ammunition while knowing they would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism; each faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a 250,000 dollar fine if convicted.
The complaint says Ali, Mahmoud and co-conspirators were inspired by the Islamic State group's extremism, and that a minor, identified only as Person 1, was deeply involved in the discussions. Investigators say the men repeatedly referred to "pumpkins" in their conversations, a reference to a Halloween attack, and that in September, on the nights of September 19 and 20, they scouted LGBTQ+ bars in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb, as a possible attack site.
According to the complaint, Ali bought a shotgun, an AR-15-style rifle and multiple accessories in August and September 2025, including a forced reset trigger that can increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic weapon; Mahmoud bought an AR-15-style rifle and accessories in September and, in October, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition for the rifles. The men and their co-conspirators also practiced at gun ranges with AK-47-style rifles and rehearsed high-speed reloads.
Searches on October 31 of homes and a storage unit in Inkster recovered three AR-15-style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, and GoPro cameras and tactical vests. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media: "Our American heroes prevented a terror attack."
The two men made brief appearances in federal court on November 3 and remained in custody, with a detention hearing set for November 10. A complaint is merely an allegation, and both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A lawyer for one defendant told reporters he did not believe his client was involved in a terror plot. The investigation began in July 2025, when the FBI picked up the alleged planning in encrypted chats.
Related: FBI挫败万圣节周末恐袭图谋，密歇根州多人被捕
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国司法部总部罗伯特·F·肯尼迪大楼（资料照片）。APK 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice, in Washington (file photo). By APK, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2025-10-31FBI Thwarts Potential Terrorist Attack Planned for Halloween Weekend, Multiple Arrested in Michigan
- 2025-11-03Two Men Charged in Halloween Terror Plot, Accused of Transferring Guns and Ammunition for a Terrorist AttackThis story
