US Attorney Alina Habba says DOJ moved fast to stop ISIS-inspired Halloween plot
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Federal prosecutors said the FBI dismantled an ISIS-linked network stretching from Michigan to New Jersey and charged several teenagers in a coordinated investigation that allegedly included plans for a Halloween mass shooting and efforts to recruit the Islamic State abroad.
Tomas Jimenez-Guzel, 19, of Montclair, New Jersey, and Saed Mirreh, 19, of Kent, Washington, were arrested this week in a New Jersey case linked to others already charged in Michigan.
The Justice Department announced the new charges Wednesday, describing the investigation as an “expanding federal investigation” into extremists who use encrypted messaging to communicate. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said the New Jersey defendants were “dedicated to ISIS” and were “in frequent contact with the Michigan cell.”
“We will continue to act quickly and decisively when terrorism or hatred threatens our societies,” Habba said in a statement Friday. he said. “When Americans are threatened, the terrorist threat is real. We respond quickly, focused and together.”
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It is alleged that Milo Sedarat sent these images to a friend on social media in January 2025. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
A 93-page complaint petition was submitted on November 5. Eastern District of Michigan He accuses Ayob Asamil Nasser and brothers Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. Prosecutors said the trio stockpiled AR-15-style rifles, shotguns, handguns and about 1,680 rounds of ammunition and referred to their plan as “pumpkin” code for the Halloween day attack. Also charged is Milo Sedarat, 21, of New Jersey.
Agents say they trained at Detroit-area ranges, shared ISIS propaganda and discussed targeting LGBTQ bars and a Jewish center in Ferndale. During the October 31 raids, the FBI seized tactical vests, GoPro cameras and magazines, and a U-Haul storage unit from the homes.
In Newark, Jimenez-Guzel and Mirreh are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the Associated Press reported. Jimenez-Güzel also faces an attempt count after agents arrested him at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday for allegedly trying to fly to Türkiye on his way to Syria.
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A split image showing selfies allegedly shared among suspects in an ISIS-inspired terror plot involving at least six teenagers from three states. The man on the left is allegedly Tomas Jimenez-Guzel, posing under the ISIS flag. On the right is alleged Saed Mirreh wearing ISIS-inspired clothing. Both allegedly blurred their own faces before sending the images to a group chat that was seized by federal investigators. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Court filings cited by the AP say their travel plans “accelerated following the arrests on Oct. 31” of several Michigan suspects with whom they had been “in contact.”
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. “We will not stop. We will follow the tentacles wherever they take them,” he said in Detroit.
FBI Detroit Special Agent Jennifer Runyan said her team “will continue to investigate, apprehend, and disrupt any attempts or plans to cause harm in defense of the homeland.” Habba praised the collaboration between the Michigan and New Jersey offices as “a model of coordination against extremist threats.”
Both complaints describe encrypted WhatsApp chats called “Muslims” in which the suspects allegedly shared ISIS materials, conducted firearms training, and discussed the “pumpkin” timeline. Authorities believe the two groups are part of a single network, with some planning attacks within the country and others trying to join ISIS abroad.
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A split image shows still images from surveillance video showing Muhammad Ali at a gun range in Michigan. (Eastern District of Michigan)
Michigan defendants remain in custody in Detroit; Jimenez-Guzel and Mirreh appeared in court in Newark and Seattle.
They are all accused of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and other juvenile cases may be being closed.
A criminal complaint is just an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
