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A michigan defense attorney arguing FBI It is alleged that his 20-year-old client and four other young suspects were planning to carry out a terrorist attack over the Halloween weekend.
The FBI and officials in Michigan have offered few details about the case, although on Friday the FBI director announced the arrest. Kash Patel Said more information would be released. State and national FBI spokespersons and US attorneys detroit He did not immediately respond to messages Saturday.
According to two people briefed on the investigation, who could not discuss details publicly, the investigation included discussions in an online chat room involving at least some of the detained suspects. He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. According to one person, the group reportedly discussed carrying out the attack around Halloween, referring to “Pumpkin Day”. A second person briefed on the investigation confirmed that reference was made to “pumpkin.”
However, attorney Amir McLeod, who represents a man from the suburb of Dearborn who was detained Saturday, told The Detroit News that he does not believe his client or four other people who were questioned by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force should be charged. The all-male group of U.S. citizens are between the ages of 16-20, McLeod said.
“This is not a terrorist cell,” Macleod told The News. “There was no planned mass casualty incident or terrorism plot of any kind that I’m aware of. They may have been on some websites or online chat groups where they shouldn’t have been, but there’s nothing illegal.”
McClell did not immediately respond to messages from the AP seeking comment Saturday.
Authorities said Friday they do not believe there is any danger to the public following the arrest. “The FBI foiled a potential terrorist attack and arrested several people in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” Patel said in a post on X on Friday.
Patel credited the FBI’s vigilance along with the help of local authorities for foiling the plot.
Macleod said he believed these comments may have been premature.
“It is not illegal to be curious about global events,” he said. “It’s not illegal to be in those chat rooms. If there’s a threat, if they’ve become radicalized, or if an (FBI) agent is trying to antagonize them or get them to agree to do something that’s inappropriate or illegal, then you cross a line. None of that happened in this situation.”
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terrorist supporters while supplying advice and equipment.
Investigators say they believe the Halloween plot was inspired by Islamic State Group insurgency. It was not immediately clear whether the group had the means to carry out the attack, but one of the people familiar with the investigation told the AP that the Halloween reference prompted the FBI to make the arrests on Friday.
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Associated Press writers Mike Balsamo and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.