A suspect accused of plotting the Michigan Halloween terror attack allegedly “sought guidance” on when to carry out the violence from the father of a local “extremist” Islamic preacher.
According to the New York Post, Mohmed Ali, 20, and an unnamed juvenile discussed reaching out to the father of the so-called “Islamic ideologue” to ask for advice on timing for a “good deed,” the complaint states.
In an FBI criminal complaint, the agency did not name the preacher but referenced research identifying him as ISIS supporter Ahmad Musa Jibril. His father, Shaykh Musa Abdullah Jibril, founded a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan.
There is no suggestion he was aware of the alleged plot.
The complaint notes that Ali acknowledged, “if the Islamic Ideologue’s father knew about the actual plan to which Ali and [the juvenile] had agreed, the Islamic Ideologue’s father would not have said what he did when [the juvenile] asked him about the timing of doing a ‘good deed.’”
Jibril has previously called on American Muslims to wage jihad against the “infidel West” and criticized what he described as a watered-down “American-Zionist Islam” that ignores jihad.
Ali, along with Michigan suspects Ayob Nasser, 19, and Majed Mahmoud, 20, are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism.
The suspects allegedly shared ISIS propaganda on Discord and scouted LGBTQ+-friendly locations for a potential attack.
Authorities in New Jersey have also charged Tomas Jimenez-Guzel and Saed Mirreh, both 19, with conspiring to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization.
Jimenez-Guzel, caught attempting to board a flight to Turkey, faces an additional charge of attempting to provide material support.
