Authorities in New Jersey arrested two men who they say are connected to a Halloween terror plot in Michigan. The two men, arrested Tuesday and Wednesday, had also intended to leave the U.S. to join the Islamic State.
Police arrested Tomas Kaan Guzel, 19, on Tuesday at the Newark Liberty International Airport before he could board a flight to Istanbul. A day later, they arrested 19-year-old Milo Sederat.
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Who are the suspects?
The suspects both lived in Montclair, New Jersey, and authorities said they discussed an attack on the LGBTQ community in Detroit before traveling to Syria to train with ISIS.
The two originally planned to leave on Nov. 17 but moved the date up after a raid last week in Detroit connected to the planned Halloween attack.
According to NBC News, Sederat is the son of famous Iranian-American poet Roger Sederat. He has not released a statement following his son’s arrest.
What was the alleged terror plot?
Authorities in Michigan arrested two men, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, in connection with the alleged attack. Court documents state that one of the men bought an AR-style rifle, a shotgun and other firearm accessories, including a forced reset trigger. The trigger modification allows shooters to fire faster than a normal semi-automatic weapon.
Investigators said the two visited Ferndale, Michigan, which has a lively bar and restaurant scene, in September. They said the pair were scoping out potential locations for the planned attack.
According to court documents, the pair used encrypted messages and social media to share extremist ideas and ISIS-related materials. Investigators said they used the term “pumpkin day” for their plans.
Federal prosecutors charged Ali and Mahmoud with receiving and transferring, along with attempting and conspiring to transfer firearms and ammunition to commit terrorism.
Authorities have not yet charged Guzel and Sederat. They are expected to be in court Wednesday, and details of the charges will be released.
