Three more suspects have been charged in connection with the alleged terror plot that federal authorities say would have unfolded in Michigan over Halloween weekend if the FBI didn’t intervene.
Ayob Nasser, 19, was one of the latest three suspects identified. He resided in Dearborn, Michigan, where two other men were previously apprehended. Their names were Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both 20 years old.
All three suspects, including Nasser, were charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and having firearms that would be used to commit an act of terrorism on behalf of ISIS. The amended criminal complaint, filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges the Islamic terrorist sympathizers would have carried out an attack in the United States using AR-style rifles and other weapons.
“We will not stop. We will follow the tentacles where they lead. We will continue to stand guard with the FBI against terrorism,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed the arrest of the third suspect on social media.
Before their arrests, the Michigan men allegedly scouted gay bars in suburban Detroit for a possible attack after searching for information on the 2016 shooting at the gay club in Orlando, Florida.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrests of the first two Michigan men on Halloween last Friday.
The two other new suspects who face federal charges in connection with the plan are from New Jersey. Tomas Kaan Jimenez Guzel was charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, and Milo Sedarat was charged with transmitting violent, antisemitic threats online across state lines. Both are 19 years old.
Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba unveiled the charges in a video and revealed the two teenagers planned to travel to Turkey and then Syria, where they would join ISIS. Habba referenced information from the criminal complaint, which has not been published on the website for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey as the government shutdown continues.
“It describes a pattern of antisemitic messages advocating violence along with images and purchases consistent with preparation for attack, including a knife and sword collection, tactical gear, and images of him practicing at a gun range,” the federal prosecutor said of Sedarat’s complaint.
TWO MICHIGAN MEN FACE FEDERAL CHARGES OVER ALLEGED HALLOWEEN TERRORIST PLOT FOILED BY FBI
The two appeared in a Newark federal court Wednesday afternoon, according to Habba. Another suspect tied to the terrorism case made an initial court appearance in Seattle, Washington.
Meanwhile, a defense attorney representing one of the alleged ISIS-linked conspirators dismissed the allegations as unfounded and claimed there was “no evidence” of any crime in his client’s case.