Two men have been charged with a terrorist plot to carry out a mass shooting over Halloween weekend in the US state of Michigan. The suspects, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, scouted potential locations in Ferndale, a suburb of Detroit, and expressed support for the Islamic State group online, federal prosecutors said, as per BBC. A third defendant, described as a juvenile in court documents, remained unnamed. The alleged conspirators bought semi-automatic guns, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition and trained at a gun range, the documents said. They are due in court in Detroit on Monday. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said it was “a major ISIS-linked terror plot”. “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 added. They are charged with handling firearms and ammunition while having reasonable cause to believe the weapons would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism. A 73-page charging document filed by the Department of Justice said that in September the suspects scouted Ferndale, where numerous bars and restaurants are located. “Many of the clubs and bars in this area intentionally attract members of the LGBTQ+ community,” said the court papers. Federal agents raided addresses linked to Ali and Mahmoud and recovered guns, ammunition, GoPro cameras and tactical vests, according to the court documents. Five people were mentioned in the charging papers, but only the two men have been named by federal prosecutors. US authorities began investigating members of the group last year. The documents say they obtained court warrants that allowed US officials to monitor phones, encrypted chats and social media linked to the individuals. An FBI informant joined group calls involving the suspects. The charges allege that in recent days the suspects had referred to “pumpkin” when discussing a date for a potential attack. “They were referring to Halloween as the potential day for the attack they were plotting, an attack that they understood could result in their deaths and martyrdom,” federal prosecutors said. The indictment alleges that Ali, Mahmoud and the unidentified juvenile planned the crime on WhatsApp. Messages shared by the govt showed the three referring to “the date, the thing”, and saying things like “We’re gonna do it” and “I gotta do pumpkin for real”. The BBC has contacted a lawyer for Ali for comment following the newly released court documents. Over the weekend, the lawyer dismissed the FBI’s raid and subsequent arrest. “There’s nothing that he ever planned or wanted to do, or impose any harm on any member of the community at any point,” the attorney, Amir Makled, told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, about his client.
