Federal authorities have dismantled an ISIS-affiliated network spanning from Michigan to New Jersey, according to prosecutors. This coordinated operation led to charges against several young individuals who were allegedly plotting a mass shooting on Halloween and attempting to join ISIS overseas.
This week, law enforcement apprehended Tomas Jimenez-Guzel, 19, from Montclair, New Jersey, and Saed Mirreh, 19, from Kent, Washington. Their arrests are linked to an ongoing case involving others already facing charges in Michigan.
The Justice Department, on Wednesday, unveiled these new charges as part of what they describe as an extensive federal investigation targeting extremists utilizing encrypted messaging. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba stated that the New Jersey suspects had declared their allegiance to ISIS and maintained frequent contact with associates in Michigan.
“We are committed to acting swiftly and decisively in the face of terrorism or hatred that endangers our communities,” Habba commented on Friday. “When American safety is at risk, our response is immediate, focused, and united.”
Allegedly, Milo Sedarat shared certain images with a friend via social media in January 2025. (Source: Fox News Digital)
On November 5, a 93-page complaint was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, accusing Ayob Asamil Nasser and siblings Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud of conspiring to offer material support to ISIS. Prosecutors claim the group amassed AR-15-style rifles, shotguns, handguns, and approximately 1,680 rounds of ammunition, referring to their planned attack as “pumpkin,” a code name for a Halloween assault. Milo Sedarat, 21, from New Jersey, also faces charges.
Agents say they trained at Detroit-area ranges, shared ISIS propaganda and discussed targeting LGBTQ bars in Ferndale and a Jewish center. During the Oct. 31 raids, the FBI seized tactical vests, GoPro cameras and magazines from homes and a U-Haul storage unit.
In Newark, Jimenez-Guzel and Mirreh face charges of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, The Associated Press reported. Jimenez-Guzel also faces an attempt count after agents arrested him Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airport as he allegedly tried to fly to Turkey on his way to Syria.
A split image showing selfies allegedly exchanged between suspects in an ISIS-inspired terror plot involving at least six young men from three states. The man on the left is alleged to be Tomas Jimenez-Guzel, posing beneath an ISIS flag. On the right is alleged to be Saed Mirreh, wearing ISIS-inspired garb. Both allegedly blurred their own faces before sending the images to a group chat intercepted by federal investigators. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Court filings cited by the AP say their travel plans “picked up speed after the Oct. 31 arrests” of several Michigan suspects “with whom they had been communicating.”
“We will not stop. We will follow the tentacles where they lead,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in Detroit.
FBI Detroit Special Agent Jennifer Runyan said her team will “continue to investigate, arrest and disrupt all attempts or plots to do harm … to defend the homeland.” Habba praised cooperation between the Michigan and New Jersey offices as “a model of coordination against extremist threats.”
Both complaints describe encrypted WhatsApp chats called “Muslimeen,” where suspects allegedly shared ISIS materials, arranged firearms training and discussed the “pumpkin” timeline. Officials believe the two groups were part of a single network, some planning domestic attacks and others seeking to join ISIS abroad.
A split image shows still photos taken from surveillance video showing Mohmed Ali at a Michigan gun range. (Eastern District of Michigan)
The Michigan defendants remain in custody in Detroit; Jimenez-Guzel and Mirreh appeared in courts in Newark and Seattle.
All face charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and additional juvenile cases may be under seal.
