Michigan lawyer says the Halloween terror plot that FBI Director Kash Patel described never existed

A Michigan defense attorney is refuting FBI allegations that his 20-year-old client and four other young suspects were planning a terrorist attack for Halloween weekend.

FBI and Michigan officials have released few details about the case, but when the arrests were announced Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel said more information would be released later. State and national FBI spokespeople, as well as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Michigan, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.

The investigation focused on an online chat in which at least some of the arrested suspects participated, according to two people familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly about specifics. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The group reportedly discussed the possibility of carrying out an attack around Halloween, referring to “Pumpkin Day,” according to one of the sources. Another person familiar with the investigation confirmed the mention of “pumpkins.”

Attorney Amir Mokalled, who represents a Dearborn suburban man arrested Saturday, told the Detroit News that he did not believe his client, nor the four other people interviewed by the FBI’s Joint Counterterrorism Task Force, deserved the charges against them. Mokalled explained that the group consisted exclusively of male U.S. citizens between the ages of 16 and 20.

“This is not a terrorist cell,” he told the Detroit News. “To my knowledge, no mass attack or terrorist plot of any kind was planned. They may have frequented inappropriate websites or online discussion forums, but that’s not illegal.”

Submitted by The Associated Press on Saturday, Mokalled did not immediately respond to messages.

Authorities stated Friday that they did not believe the arrests posed a threat to the public. “The FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested several individuals in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” Patel said Friday in a post on X.

Patel praised the FBI’s vigilance, as well as the assistance of local authorities, which helped foil the plot.

Maklad said he thought these comments might be premature.

“Being interested in international news is not illegal. Attending online forums is not illegal. However, if there is a threat, if people are becoming radicalized, or if an FBI agent attempts to provoke or persuade them to commit an inappropriate or illegal act, then there is a crime. None of that happened in this case,” he asserted.

Since the September 11 attacks, the FBI has thwarted numerous suspected terrorist plots through undercover operations in which agents posed as terrorist sympathizers, providing them with advice and materials.

Investigators believe the Halloween plot was inspired by the extremism of the Islamic State group. It was not immediately clear whether the group had the resources to carry out an attack, but the Halloween reference prompted the FBI to make arrests on Friday, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press.