The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Friday (31st October) that its agents had stopped a terrorist attack in Michigan.
The FBI’s director, Kash Patel, revealed the operation on social media, stating that agents had arrested several people. He said they were “plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.” Patel promised to release more information later and thanked law enforcement for “crushing our mission to defend the homeland” by guarding 24/7.
While Director Patel didn’t specify where the arrests happened, the police department in Dearborn, Michigan, confirmed that the FBI had been working in their city. The Dearborn police posted a message to assure the public, saying, “We want to assure our residents that there is no threat to the community at this time.”
Dearborn, located near Detroit, is well-known as the headquarters for the Ford Motor Company and is the first city in the U.S. with an Arab American majority.
Witnesses reported seeing FBI agents and state police near Dearborn’s Fordson High School and also at a private home. According to The Associated Press, the FBI was also seen in the nearby suburb of Inkster investigating a storage facility. People close to the investigation, who wished to remain anonymous, told the news agency that the plot was inspired by the group ISIL (also known as ISIS) and that the suspects were believed to have been “radicalised” online.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also released a statement confirming she was aware of the situation. “This morning, I was briefed by Director Patel on the thwarted potential terrorist attack in our state,” she wrote, expressing gratitude for the “swift action of the FBI and MSP protecting Michiganders.”
This is the second major counter-terrorism operation in Michigan announced during Patel’s time as director. Back on 14th May, the FBI arrested Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, a 19-year-old former member of the Michigan National Guard. The government accused Said of planning a mass shooting at a U.S. Army base in Warren, Michigan, on behalf of ISIL (ISIS). He was arrested after giving undercover agents ammunition, drone surveillance, and other attack details.
Kash Patel was nominated by President Donald Trump and officially became the FBI Director on February 21. During Trump’s second term, the administration has sought to expand the use of the “terrorist” designation to include other groups, such as Latin American gangs and the loosely knit antifa movement.
