FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that multiple people were arrested in Michigan over an alleged Halloween terror plot.
Patel said the suspects, ranging in age from 16 to 20, were allegedly planning a violent attack over the Halloween weekend.
“The FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” Patel wrote on X.
Authorities initially offered few details about the investigation. Spokespeople for the state FBI and the U.S. Attorney in Detroit did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Two people familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press the plot involved discussions in an online chat room. Some references reportedly included a “pumpkin day” as a code for an attack.
Patel credited the vigilance of the FBI, along with help from local authorities, with preventing the alleged attack.
Amir Makled, a Michigan defense lawyer representing one of the suspects, disputed the FBI’s claims, per the Associated Press.
“After reviewing the matter, I concluded that no terror event was planned,” Makled told reporters. “I don’t expect any charges will be filed.”
Makled described the group as all-male U.S. citizens who are gamers. He said some of them were exploring online forums they shouldn’t have been on, but no illegal activity occurred.
“If these young men were on forums that they should not have been on or things of that nature, then we’ll have to wait and see,” Makled said. “But I don’t believe that there’s anything illegal about any of the activity they were doing.”
Makled also criticized what he called “hysteria and fearmongering” surrounding the arrests.
“I don’t know where this hysteria and this fearmongering came from,” he said. “These kids are not terrorists. They are not violent. They were never planning an attack.”
Authorities confirmed after the arrests that there was no further threat to public safety. Local communities were never in danger, the FBI said.
The investigation was reportedly inspired by Islamic State extremism, but it was unclear whether the suspects had the means to carry out any attack.
Since the 9/11 terror attacks, the FBI has foiled multiple alleged plots through sting operations. Agents often pose as extremists to provide advice and equipment, ensuring attacks cannot occur.
Despite Patel’s statements, legal experts say there is little evidence to suggest that the Michigan suspects posed an actual threat. The references to Halloween and “pumpkin day” may have been misinterpreted as online chatter, not a genuine terror plot.
