More details in foiled Halloween terror plot reveal alleged link to ISIS
Attorney General Pam Bondi updated the American public on a foiled terrorist attack initially announced by FBI Director Kash Patel last week
by Summer Lane | November 3, 2025
Last week, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest of multiple subjects in Michigan linked to a now-foiled Halloween terrorist plot, and on Monday, the Department of Justice revealed more details concerning the troubling situation.
Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled this new information in an unsealed complaint, alleging that this plot was linked to ISIS terrorism.
“According to the complaint, subjects had multiple AR-15 rifles, tactical gear, and a detailed plan to carry out an attack on American soil,” she wrote on X.
Bondi continued, “Thanks to the extraordinary diligence of our US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr., the FBI and state and local law enforcement officers, this plot was stopped before innocent lives were lost.”
The 73-page criminal complaint details the alleged plot of two Dearborn, Michigan, men – Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud – who planned to launch a terrorist-inspired mass shooting in the Detroit region on Halloween.
The complaint also revealed that, with the weaponry allegedly purchased to perpetrate this attack, Mahmoud, along with several unidentified co-conspirators, practiced shooting at a gun range together between September and October. They additionally met together in multiple areas on several occasions, the complaint alleges, possibly to “scout potential attack target locations.”
The complaint contained detailed information about this alleged plot, including pictures of one of the suspects, Mohmed Ali, at a Michigan gun range.
Further, the complaint alleged online communications between the suspects and unidentified persons discussing the attack, which they appeared to codename “Pumpkin.”
This word is used often in the message exchanges included in the complaint, along with the terms “weddings” and “cakes,” which the special agent argued “was referring to attacks” in his opinion.
The plotting and communications appeared extensive, and based on the information presented in the complaint, appeared to be fueled by Islamic ideology.
“Based on my training, experience, and investigation in this case, I know that ISIS members and supporters often use the term mujahid to mean a holy warrior engaged in violent jihad,” the complaint alleged, referring to one member of the chat group who referred to himself as a “potential mujahid.”
Director Patel – who announced the foiled plot last week with little initial details – said Monday that the FBI “acted fast, followed the evidence, and likely saved countless lives.”
Photo: Eastern District of Michigan/Criminal Complaint
