FBI Thwarts ISIS-Inspired Halloween Terror Plot in Michigan: Multiple Arrests in Dearborn, Inkster
Patel posted on X that the FBI had taken multiple subjects into custody in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack, with more details to come.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced on October 31, 2025, that agents had thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested five young individuals aged 16-20 in suburban Detroit who were plotting violence over Halloween weekend. Patel posted on X that the FBI had taken multiple subjects into custody in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack, with more details to come.
The ISIS-inspired group was radicalized online through chat rooms, where they discussed an attack timed for Halloween, which they referred to as "pumpkin day." The suspects had visited a shooting range with AK-47s, firing hundreds of rounds and practicing tactical high-speed reloads. While no specific target had been finalized, the Halloween reference prompted the FBI to make preemptive arrests to prevent any action.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted raids in Dearborn near Fordson High School, a community with a large Arab-American population, and at a storage facility on Michigan Avenue in Inkster. Agents collected evidence bags from a home in Dearborn, with neighbors reporting loud bangs before dawn. Dearborn police stated there was no threat to the community, and Inkster police added extra patrols for Halloween safety.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said she was briefed by Patel and was grateful for the swift action. FBI Detroit confirmed there was no current threat to public safety, and Deputy Director Dan Bongino emphasized that protecting the homeland is the top priority.
This incident follows a May 2025 case in which 19-year-old Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, a former Army National Guard member, was arrested for plotting an ISIS attack on the Detroit Arsenal with undercover FBI agents. He remains charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization, with a plea deal pending. Dearborn, home to about 50% Arab-Americans, has been the focus of prior terrorism-related investigations.
Charges against the five suspects are pending, and the investigation remains ongoing. Patel indicated that additional details would be released as they become available.
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