DEARBORN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Details of an alleged terrorist attack laid out by a FBI special agent show it stopped an attack with ambitions of killing hundreds of people.
Dearborn resident Mohmed Ali, who was arrested and charged, had bought numerous guns and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition in preparation for a Halloween attack similar to Nov. 13, 2015 ISIS attack in Paris that killed 137 people and injured more than 416.
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The alleged group of terrorists were inspired by ISIS but were not believed to be planning an attack in Dearborn, where the FBI believes members met privately in city parks to discuss their plans and avoid being overheard by family members. Instead, they were scouting nightclubs in nearby Ferndale that “intentionally attract members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
That’s according to FBI Special Agent Nicholas Czech’s statements made in the criminal complaint posted online by Fox News. The FBI had been tracking the communications of the group of alleged terrorists since July.
The criminal complaint cites the participation of an unidentified juvenile who was deeply involved in the plot, identified in the complaint as “Person 1.”
Ali is prominent in Czech’s account, as are unnamed co-conspirators who were helping to plan the attack. Majed Mahmoud, another Dearborn man, has also been charged for his role in the plot.
The FBI had an undercover operative who recorded many conversations and provided decrypted messages the group of men used while planning the attack.
FBI agents recovered shotguns, four handguns, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition compatible with the three AR-15 style rifles. Ali bought many gun accessories, such as flash suppressors, an attachment that would allow him to fire faster than an semi-automatic weapon would allow and even a flashlight that attached to his weapon so both hands could be free. He also bought a holographic sight “built for close-quarter engagements with fast moving targets,” according to the FBI statements.
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The group also tried to seek guidance from an unidentified “Islam Idealogue who is publicly known for his radical Islamic views,” the FBI stated. They were able to talk to the father of the “Islamic Ideologue” who told them not to delay in the attack and should do the “good deed now,” according to the criminal complaint.
Ali and Mahmoud had also practiced shooting guns at nearby ranges leading up to their arrests.
