Multiple people have been arrested in Michigan in a Halloween weekend
attack plot, FBI director says
[November 01, 2025]
By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER and ERIC TUCKER
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Multiple people who had been allegedly plotting a
violent attack over the Halloween weekend were arrested Friday in
Michigan, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post.
The law enforcement effort was focused on suburban Detroit. Patel said
more information would be released later.
Investigators believe the plot was inspired by Islamic State extremism
and are investigating whether those in custody were potentially
radicalized online, according to two people briefed on the investigation
who could not publicly discuss details. They spoke to The Associated
Press on condition of anonymity.
FBI and state police vehicles were in a neighborhood near Fordson High
School in Dearborn. People wearing shirts marked FBI walked in and out
of a house, including one person who collected paper bags and other
items from an evidence truck.
Police in Inkster, another suburb, said FBI personnel were at a storage
facility there.
“There is no current threat to public safety,” said Jordan Hall, an FBI
spokesperson in Detroit, who declined further comment.
The investigation involved discussion in an online chatroom involving at
least some of the suspects who were taken into custody, people familiar
with the investigation told AP. The group had discussed carrying out an
attack around Halloween, referring to “pumpkin day,” according to one of
the people. The other person briefed on the investigation confirmed that
there had been a “pumpkin” reference.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the group had the means to carry out an
attack, but the reference to Halloween prompted the FBI to make arrests
Friday, one of the people said.
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An FBI agent enters a home in a Dearborn, Mich., neighborhood on
Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on X that she was briefed by Patel.
She said she was grateful for “swift action” but offered no details.
Residents in the Dearborn neighborhood watched as investigators worked
at the house.
“It’s really scary because we have a lot of relatives around this
neighborhood,” said Fatima Saleh, who was next door.
Separately, in May, the FBI said it arrested a man who had spent months
planning an attack against a U.S. Army site in suburban Detroit on
behalf of the Islamic State group. The man, Ammar Said, didn’t know that
his supposed allies in the alleged plot were undercover FBI employees.
Said remains in custody, charged with attempting to provide support to a
terrorist organization. The criminal complaint was replaced in September
with a criminal “information” document, signaling that a plea agreement
could be possible in the months ahead.
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Associated Press writers Mike Balsamo, Sarah Brumfield and Alanna Durkin
Richer in Washington, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this
report.
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