The FBI “thwarted a potential terrorist attack” linked to ISIS extremism planned for Halloween weekend in Michigan, according to FBI Director Kash Patel and reports.
“This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” he wrote in a social media post Friday morning.
“More details to come. Thanks to the men and women of FBI and law enforcement everywhere standing guard 24/7 and crushing our mission to defend the homeland.”
It’s not immediately clear when or where in the state the suspects were planning to carry out the attack. Patel also didn’t specify the charges the suspects are facing. Five people from Dearborn and Inkster, Michigan, were taken into custody in connection with a plot linked to ISIS extremism, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
However, officials at the FBI and the Justice Department are allegedly “frustrated” that Patel posted about the Michigan terror investigation before a criminal complaint was prepared and details were clear, MSNBC reporter Ken Dilanian reported.
The Independent has contacted the FBI for more information.
Agents in Detroit were present in Dearborn and Inkster early Friday conducting “law enforcement activities,” a spokesperson for the FBI office in Detroit told The Independent, noting that there is no current threat to public safety.
Local police also mentioned that the FBI conducted operations Friday morning in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit and home to Ford Motor Company headquarters.
“We want to assure our residents that there is no threat to the community at this time,” authorities wrote in a Facebook post. “The Dearborn Police Department remains committed to the safety and security of all who live, work, and visit our city.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer remarked on the foiled attack and thanked federal and local officers for their “swift action.”
“This morning, I was briefed by Director Patel on the thwarted potential terrorist attack in our state. As details continue to develop, I am grateful for the swift action of the FBI and MSP protecting Michiganders,” she wrote in a social media post Friday morning.
In Dearborn, residents told the Detroit Free Press that they heard loud banging noises around 4 a.m.
Holly Kemp, 36, told the outlet that she lives two houses down from a home that was searched. She and her husband heard banging noises early Friday, prompting them to look outside, where they saw local police officers as well as SWAT and FBI agents.
Kemp and other neighbors told the outlet they knew little about who lived inside the home that was searched, but Kemp believed two men had moved in over the summer. She described the community as tight-knit and quiet, noting she couldn’t think of any other incident prompting such a massive law enforcement presence in the neighborhood.
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FBI Director Patel says multiple people were arrested in Michigan in a Halloween weekend attack plot
