FBI foils Pulse-inspired Halloween terror attack targeting LGBTQ+ bars in Michigan
Court documents say the plan was partly inspired by the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida
By Callum Wells
The FBI has foiled a Halloween attack in suburban Detroit that was allegedly aimed at LGBTQ+ venues in Ferndale, Michigan.
Court documents say the plan was partly inspired by the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.
The Pulse attack, which began as a shooting before escalating into a hostage standoff, left 49 people dead and 53 wounded. Authorities described it at the time as the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.
The FBI says three suspects plotted an attack on Ferndale LGBTQ+ clubs
According to the FBI, two 20-year-old men from Dearborn, Michigan, and a juvenile accomplice were planning to carry out a similar assault on one or more clubs in Ferndale, an area known for its LGBTQ+ nightlife.
Mohmed Ali, Majed Mahmoud and a juvenile identified as “Athari” scouted the Ferndale area in September as part of what investigators say was a plan to “shoot up Americans,” referring to their targets as “pumpkin,” according to court documents. The trips raised suspicion because none of the suspects were over 21, ruling out legitimate visits to bars or clubs.
The Pulse attack in 2016 involved roughly 300 people inside the nightclub at 2am. Many, but not all, were members of the LGBTQ+ community. During an hours-long standoff, Omar Mateen called 911 and a local news outlet, swearing allegiance to ISIS in both calls. SWAT officers eventually killed him after breaching a wall following failed hostage negotiations.
They intercepted plot messages, arrested suspects, seized weapons, and said it was Pulse-inspired
As the FBI monitored the Michigan suspects, agents intercepted messages indicating Ali and Athari would “do the same thing as France” and that their attack was “probably going to be at like a club, a disco”.
Ali and Mahmoud are being held without bail ahead of detention hearings in federal court in Detroit scheduled for next Monday (10 November).
Friday, the FBI executed search warrants on the suspects’ homes and a shared storage unit, seizing multiple semiautomatic rifles, a shotgun, handguns, tactical gear, and more than 1,600 rounds of 5.56 ammunition. Agents also recovered surveillance footage showing Ali and other alleged conspirators practising at a Michigan gun range.
An FBI affidavit notes that the plotters drew inspiration from both the Pulse nightclub attack and the 2015 coordinated terror attacks in Paris, which killed 137 people and injured over 400.