FBI Arrests Three More Suspects in ISIS-Inspired Halloween Plot Targeting Detroit Bars and Clubs
Federal agents arrested three additional men Wednesday tied to an ISIS-inspired scheme to attack bars and nightclubs in Detroit over Halloween, the FBI announced. The arrests follow last week’s roundup of four suspects accused of plotting an attack modeled after the 2015 Paris massacre that killed 130 people.
Two of the newly charged suspects, Milo Sedarat and Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, are from Montclair, New Jersey. Jimenez-Guzel was taken into custody at Newark Liberty International Airport as he tried to travel to Syria to join ISIS fighters, according to a law enforcement official who spoke with the Wall Street Journal. He faces a charge of conspiring to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization. Prosecutors say they recovered a photo of Jimenez-Guzel posing with an ISIS flag and a knife.
Sedarat was charged with transmitting threats to interstate and foreign commerce. The complaint describes a pattern of antisemitic messages advocating violence, and alleges Sedarat had been buying tactical gear, knives and swords and practicing at a gun range in preparation for violent action, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said.
Authorities say the New Jersey men were connected to suspects already charged in the Detroit plot, identified as Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud. Two juveniles have also been charged in the investigation but have not been publicly named.
In Michigan, a third additional suspect was arrested Wednesday, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino wrote on X. That suspect was identified as 19-year-old Ayob Nasser of Dearborn. Nasser has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and with possessing firearms intended for use to commit terrorism on behalf of the group.
Officials say the conspirators communicated in a Signal chat where they discussed ways to support ISIS and coordinate violence. U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. praised the joint work of the FBI and partner agencies, saying the investigation will continue to follow leads and hold those who plot terrorism accountable.