Two Charged in Alleged Michigan Halloween Plot

Federal authorities unsealed a criminal complaint charging Dearborn residents Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud with gun crimes after alleging they and co‑conspirators plotted an ISIS‑inspired mass shooting codenamed “pumpkin” for Halloween, communicating on encrypted apps and scouting targets. Agents executing Oct. 31 search warrants recovered multiple AR‑15‑style rifles, shotguns, pistols, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, optical sights, GoPro cameras, tactical vests and other gear from homes and a storage unit in Dearborn and Inkster. FBI Director Kash Patel publicly credited the bureau with thwarting a “potential terrorist attack,” but public filings so far have offered limited specifics beyond the complaint. Defense attorneys, notably Amir Makled, strongly dispute the characterization, describing the suspects as U.S.‑born teenagers and young men who are “gamers” engaged in online bravado and recreational firearms activity and saying there is no evidence of an operational mass‑casualty plot. The conflicting accounts — law enforcement citing encrypted chats and alleged ISIS inspiration while lawyers and reporting highlight scant public evidence and few formal charges to date — have prompted scrutiny of the FBI’s public messaging and left key factual questions unresolved as the case proceeds.