Feds indict Michigan trio in Halloween terror case

Robert Snell, The Detroit News on Nov 13, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

DETROIT — A federal grand jury late Wednesday indicted three Dearborn men on terrorism-related charges in the latest legal move in a case involving an alleged coast-to-coast conspiracy involving the Islamic State.

The indictment was filed two days after Ayob Nasser, 19, his 20-year-old brother Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, 20, agreed to stay in jail while a case against them is pending. They are among eight people charged in a conspiracy that FBI agents say involved an alleged terrorist plot targeting LGBTQ+ friendly clubs in Ferndale and Cedar Point amusement park.

The indictment lists two charges: conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, and having firearms that could be used to commit terrorism. The gun charge carries a maximum 15-year federal prison sentence, while the material support charge is a 20-year felony.

The indictment follows a week of law enforcement activity related to the largest federal terrorism prosecution in Michigan in more than 20 years and arrests spanning the Continental U.S. ― from the Seattle area to Metro Detroit and New Jersey ― as federal prosecutors have charged eight people so far. That includes a 16-year-old male and a 17-year-old male, both from Dearborn, who have been charged as juveniles in rare, sealed federal court filings.

The alleged plot surfaced during a series of Halloween raids at two homes in Dearborn and an Inkster storage facility during which investigators recovered firearms.

Defense lawyers for some of the men charged in the case have criticized the government's handling of the FBI investigation, saying there was no terror cell, no planned attack or imminent threat.

Ali's lawyer, Amir Makled, previously told The News that the men charged were not involved in terrorism.

"One thing is for sure, they didn't have a plan to attack and are not part of a terror cell," Makled said. "There was never any planned mass-casualty event or terrorism plot of any kind that I'm aware of. … They might have been on some websites or online chat groups that they shouldn’t have been, but nothing that is illegal."

An earlier criminal complaint describes a group of five co-conspirators, including a juvenile, training with and stockpiling weapons and scouting potential attack locations in downtown Ferndale.

-------------