The FBI said Friday it thwarted a potential terrorist plot aimed at Halloween weekend in Michigan and arrested multiple people, according to a statement posted on X by Director Kash Patel. Officials said more details would follow.
The FBI on October 31 said it disrupted a potential terrorist attack in Michigan and took multiple people into custody, an announcement Director Kash Patel made in a post on X early Friday. Patel thanked FBI personnel and law-enforcement partners for their work and said additional information would be released later. (reuters.com)
According to the Associated Press and Reuters, FBI activity occurred in the Detroit suburbs of Dearborn and Inkster, where agents collected evidence; authorities emphasized there was no current threat to public safety. (apnews.com)
Patel’s post said the bureau had “thwarted a potential terrorist attack” and “arrested multiple subjects in Michigan” who were allegedly plotting violence over Halloween weekend, but did not identify the suspects or specify a target. (dailywire.com)
Some details remained unclear Friday. Reuters reported that some of those detained were teenagers, while AP reported that online discussions referencing “pumpkin day” — a coded mention of Halloween — helped trigger the operation and that investigators were exploring an ISIS inspiration for the chatter. Officials have not publicly described the suspects’ capabilities or any intended target. (reuters.com)
Patel has served as FBI director since February 2025, succeeding Christopher Wray. (fbi.gov)
This week’s action follows other recent counterterrorism cases in Michigan. In a separate May case, the Justice Department charged a 19-year-old Melvindale man with attempting to attack a U.S. military installation in Warren on behalf of ISIS after an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation. That case is unrelated to Friday’s arrests. (justice.gov)