DETROIT — Two Dearborn men and a group of alleged co-conspirators hatched a plan to commit a terrorist attack in support of the Islamic State, according to a federal criminal case filed Monday that described reconnaissance, firearms and fears the group was targeting an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Ferndale.

The case against Dearborn residents Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud was filed three days after high-profile raids by members of an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Dearborn and Inkster and comments from FBI Director Kash Patel that investigators had thwarted a violent plot tied to international terrorism that was planned over the Halloween weekend.

The 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. The popular downtown is filled with restaurants, bars, clubs and shops and is known as a haven for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

"Based on my investigation in this case, this information is consistent with (the juvenile), Ali and Mahmoud scouting possible LGBTQ+-friendly attack locations in Ferndale," FBI Special Agent Nicholas Czech wrote in the complaint.

The men, whose ages were not immediately available, were charged with receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to transfer firearms and ammunition while knowing or having reasonable cause to believe the weapons would be used to commit an act of terrorism. The felony carries a maximum 15-year federal prison sentence.

The charge was filed three days after FBI agents raided two homes in Dearborn and an Inkster storage facility and arrested five people ages 16 to 20.

"Our newly unsealed complaint reveals a major ISIS-linked terror plot with multiple subjects arrested in the Eastern District of Michigan targeting the United States," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi tweeted Monday. "According to the complaint, subjects had multiple AR-15 rifles, tactical gear, and a detailed plan to carry out an attack on American soil."

Mahmoud's lawyer, Bill Swor, declined to comment until he had a chance to read the criminal complaint.

Attorney Amir Makled, who represents a 20-year-old Dearborn man, has denied that the men were 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 told The Detroit News.

In the wake of the raid, Makled faulted Patel for making "premature" comments about the investigation. The five people arrested by the FBI — all U.S. citizens — were not planning an attack, he said.

"There was never any planned mass-casualty event or terrorism plot of any kind that I'm aware of," Makled said. "They might have been on some websites or online chat groups that they shouldn’t have been, but nothing that is illegal."

The investigation dates to 2024 when the FBI opened a probe into an unidentified co-conspirator who was living with Ali in Dearborn, according to the court filing.

In August, the co-conspirator returned to the U.S. from a trip overseas and was questioned by Customs and Border Protection agents, who also searched his phone. The analysis revealed Google searches for ISIS and the Islamic State and photos showing the man wearing military-style clothes and handling weapons.

Investigators also discovered a group chat that included an FBI informant who recorded the phone call. During the chat, participants discussed traveling to Syria and joining ISIS.

"Yeah, we're not coming back, bro, we are gonna die there (in Syria) ..." the co-conspirator said.

A second co-conspirator said he tried to persuade the juvenile and Ali to join them overseas but they decided to stay back and do the "same thing as France" — an apparent reference to ISIS terror attacks that killed 130 people on Nov. 13, 2015.

During the chat, Ali is referred to by the nickname "Bukhari," the agent wrote.

At one point, the co-conspirator asked if Ali and the juvenile were going to commit a terrorist attack.

"As soon as we get a commander," the second co-conspirator said. "If we don't, then they are gonna wait."

Any terrorist attack involving the juvenile, the co-conspirator said, would probably target a club.

The discussions led to developments in Metro Detroit.

Ali applied for at least four licenses to buy firearm purchasing permits since July, according to police in Westland, where Ali lived at the time.

He bought a shotgun in August and accessories, and he bought a rifle in September, according to the government. The accessories included a trigger that increases the rate of fire in a semiautomatic weapon.

Mahmoud, meanwhile, bought a rifle in September and 1,680 rounds of ammunition.

"... Purchasing such a large quantity of ... rounds could indicate that an individual is stockpiling ammunition for an attack," the FBI agent wrote.

Phone records and other evidence later showed Ali, Mahmoud, the juvenile and two others visited area shooting ranges this fall, including at Downriver Guns in Belleville near Ann Arbor, the complaint alleges.

"I know based on my training and experience that individuals plotting terrorist attacks may practice shooting firearms of the same or similar type that they intend to use during the attacks they intend to carry out," the agent wrote.

Based on chats analyzed during the investigation, an attack appeared scheduled for Halloween, according to the government, and Ali and the juvenile “sought guidance from the father of a local Islamic extremist ideologue ... on this question,” the FBI agent wrote.

The ideologue is not identified by name but “has publicly proclaimed his support for the Islamic extremist ideology espoused by ISIS,” the agent wrote.

However, the agent cites a 2014 report by the International Center for the Study of Radicalization that mentions Ahmad Musa Jibril, a Dearborn cleric cited as an inspirational leader for Syrian militants.

In September, the investigation led to Ferndale, where Ali, Mahmoud and the juvenile visited this fall, the FBI agent wrote.

Between Sept. 19-20, the group traveled to a particular area in Ferndale that included several bars and restaurants, including three unidentified bars and clubs.

"All three of these clubs are located on Woodward Avenue near East Nine Mile," the agent wrote. "Many of the clubs and bars in this area intentionally attract members of the LGBTQ+ community."

The agent also noted the previous online group chat during which the co-conspirator noted the juvenile probably would target a club in a terrorist attack.

"As such, I believe the September 19 and 20, 2025, trips ... could be attempts by (the juvenile), Ali and Mahmoud to 'scout' locations of a possible attack before carrying it out," the FBI agent wrote.

Ali, Mahmoud and the juvenile are all under 21 years old, leading the agent to believe they were not in the area to patronize the clubs or drink alcohol.

Investigators also recovered online chats among the juvenile, Ali and Mahmoud, according to the FBI. In one chat, Ali and the juvenile talked about an attack that might happen on "pumpkin" day, an apparent reference to Halloween.

The complaint also offers new details about high-profile FBI searches on Halloween that rattled the Dearborn area.

During Halloween raids at Ali and Mahmoud’s homes, investigators say they found three AR-15-style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, and gear.

Ali also rented a storage unit in Inkster, the FBI alleges. During that search, investigators recovered more gear, including chest rig vests that can hold ammunition magazines.

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