FBI searches Dearborn home after report of thwarted terrorist plot
FBI officials have not confirmed whether the operation is connected to the thwarted terrorist attack plot announced by Director Kash Patel.
Federal agents in Michigan thwarted a potential “terrorist attack” over the Halloween weekend, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on October 31st.
In a post on X, Patel said the FBI had arrested several people “on suspicion of planning a violent attack.” The director did not elaborate on the alleged conspiracy, nor did he provide details on how many people had been arrested or the charges they were facing.
“Through swift action and close collaboration with local partners, a potential terrorist act was stopped before it could escalate,” Patel said in a statement. “Thanks to this FBI vigilance, what could have been a tragic attack was thwarted, and thanks to their dedicated efforts, Michigan will have a safe and happy Halloween.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she had been briefed on the operation by the FBI. “While the details continue to evolve, we are grateful for the swift action of the FBI and (Michigan State Police) to protect Michiganders,” she told X.
FBI agents were in the metro Detroit suburbs of Dearborn and Inkster, said Jordan Hall, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Detroit field office. He did not say whether the investigators were involved in the investigation Patel described. He added: “There is no threat to public safety at this time.”
The Dearborn Police Department confirmed that “the FBI conducted an operation in the City of Dearborn early this morning,” but stressed that “there is no threat to the community at this time.”
Patel’s announcement comes months after federal authorities said they had thwarted a potential mass shooting at a Detroit-area military base planned for ISIS. In that case, former Michigan Army National Guardsman Ammar Saeed was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to the Department of Justice.
There is no indication that the two alleged plots were related.
Contributor: Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
