DEARBORN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The alleged Halloween terrorist plot that originated in Dearborn has ballooned into a major national investigation with eight people charged so far spanning three different states.

Yet, the city and the Muslim population has remained relatively silent about the terror probe. Eight people have been charged by the FBI, including five Dearborn residents. The FBI complaints claim a group of men had bought guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and trained using firearms in preparation for a major attack in the U.S. The criminal complaint suggests the alleged terrorists were looking at an amusement park, possibly Cedar Point, or nearby Ferndale and a strip of bars that attracted the LGBTQ crowd.

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The city’s police department released statements on social media on Oct. 31 and again Nov. 5 stating the FBI was in town “conducting operations” and the public was not at risk.

The city of Dearborn police department, city’s mayor and four mosques contacted for this story via email did not respond.

Just days before the terrorism plot was revealed by the FBI, Dearborn’s mayor Abdullah Hammoud joked about his city being called the jihad capital of the U.S.

“The funny idea I had was to go and name everyone ‘Jihad,’” the mayor said. “‘Hi, my name is Jihad.’ And just put that in the video. ‘We are Jihad.’ I thought that would be funny.”

The mayor’s Instagram account addressed the Oct. 31 arrests but has remained silent ever since.

“We are aware of reports regarding a federal investigation and arrests in Michigan. At this time, there is no indication of any immediate threat to the City of Dearborn,” Hammoud posted Oct. 31. “We understand the concern such news can cause, and we are monitoring developments closely. As we learn more and verify information through official channels, we will share updates with our residents. Our focus remains on keeping our community safe and informed.”

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Early in the investigation before the FBI published its criminal complaints, the Detroit Free Press published a story quoting Muslim leaders who challenged the authenticity of the FBI complaint.

The Detroit Free Press wrote a Nov. 3 articles that painted Muslim residents as victims of racism after the 9/11 and Oct. 7 terrorism attacks and quoted Muslim leaders of the city as questioning the legitimacy of the FBI’s claims.

The Detroit Free Press editorialized that Dearborn, “carries the fear and anxiety of the community that there may never be an end to the anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia they’ve faced since 9/11 and Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant group Hamas launched an attack against Israel, and Israel responded with a two-year assault on the Gaza Strip.”

The Detroit Free Press continued: “After the 9/11 attack, Arab and Muslims in Dearborn received death threats and endured other verbal abuse like hate-slurs. Homes and businesses were vandalized. Nationwide, the government has engaged in surveillance, profiling and detentions of Arabs and Muslims. More recently, since Oct. 7, threats have been made against mosques and other Islamic institutions, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported a sharp increase in hate crimes. And in Feb. 2024, the Wall Street Journal published a column that drew widespread condemnation titled: Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital.”

The Detroit Free Press quoted “Dearborn leader Nasser Beydoun” in its article.
“You see the national media, what they’re doing to Dearborn, the attacks and the lies … so anything like this just adds to that fervor and just feeds into the people who want to hate on Muslims and want to hate on Dearborn and make Dearborn this Sharia law capital,” Beydoun said. “(The government) is going to make it look as bad as possible.”

The Detroit Free Press article quoted Dawud Walid, executive director of Michigan’s Council on Islamic Relations, as inferring the investigation was entrapment.

“Every single comment that was made is that, ‘Here we go again,’ the government has been involved in a plot or a scheme to entrap young people,” Walid said. “There’s a long history in America of the FBI using confidential informants, along with taxpayer dollars, to plot schemes.”