DEARBORN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — The author of a controversial Wall Street Journal op-ed calling Dearborn the “jihad capital” of the U.S. says Americans have been “lulled” into a false sense of security about domestic terrorism — even as three Dearborn men face federal charges.

Middle East Media Research Institute Executive Director Steven Stalinsky made the comment to Michigan News Source after Ayob Nasser, Mohmed Ali, and Majed Mahmoud, all of Dearborn, were indicted on terrorism charges Wednesday.

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The three are being held in jail while their case proceeds, according to The Detroit News. They are among eight people charged so far in what the FBI describes as a mass-terrorism plot intended to strike somewhere in the U.S. on Halloween. Federal investigators say the group scouted potential targets, including the city of Ferndale and Cedar Point amusement park.

Stalinsky, whose February 2024 Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital” drew heavy criticism — including from then-President Joe Biden — argues the FBI deserves more recognition for disrupting the alleged plot.

“The FBI’s arrests in the recent potential ISIS-linked terror attack allegedly set for the Halloween weekend … highlight the incredible job that the agency and other U.S. law enforcement continue to do to keep Americans safe,” Stalinsky said. “Their disruption of the many jihadi plots that are constantly happening all over the country is an important reminder that this very success has lulled Americans into a false sense of security. We simply do not realize how often we have come close to catastrophe.”

The Dearborn defendants are part of what prosecutors say is a broader conspiracy in the terrorism plot involving suspects from Washington state and New Jersey.