An alleged terror plot linked to ISIS extremism was stopped in Michigan just before Halloween weekend — but the way it was announced is causing serious tension inside federal law enforcement.
FBI Director Kash Patel went public early Friday morning, revealing that agents had “thwarted a potential terrorist attack” and arrested “multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.”
“This morning 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 in a post on social media.“More details to come. Thanks to the men and women of FBI and law enforcement everywhere standing guard 24/7 and crushing our mission to defend the homeland.”
According to NBC News, five people from Dearborn and Inkster were arrested in connection with the plot. The suspects are reportedly linked to ISIS-inspired extremism, though details on the timing, targets, and charges remain unclear.
Patel’s announcement, however, came before prosecutors had finalized a criminal complaint — something that didn’t sit well with officials inside the FBI and the Justice Department. MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian reported that top officials were “frustrated” that Patel revealed the investigation before details were ready to be released.
Agents from the FBI’s Detroit field office confirmed they were conducting “law enforcement activities” early Friday in Dearborn and Inkster but emphasized that “there is no current threat to public safety.”
Local police echoed that message in a Facebook post: “We want to assure our residents that there is no threat to the community at this time. The Dearborn Police Department remains committed to the safety and security of all who live, work, and visit our city.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer thanked law enforcement for their “swift action,” saying she had been briefed by Patel earlier in the day. “This morning, I was briefed by Director Patel on the thwarted potential terrorist attack in our state. As details continue to develop, I am grateful for the swift action of the FBI and MSP protecting Michiganders,” Whitmer wrote.
In Dearborn, residents woke up to chaos. Holly Kemp, 36, told the Detroit Free Press she heard “loud banging noises” around 4 a.m. and saw “local police officers as well as SWAT and FBI agents” outside her home. She lives two houses down from one of the residences searched by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Kemp said she believed two men had moved into the home over the summer but knew little else about them. “It’s a tight-knit and quiet neighborhood,” she said, adding she couldn’t recall anything like this ever happening there before.
For now, federal authorities haven’t released the suspects’ names or described what kind of attack they were planning. But inside the Bureau, Patel’s early post is raising eyebrows — and tempers. Officials wanted to wait until the investigation was airtight before going public, and Patel’s rush to announce the arrests has reportedly set off internal frustration.
The terror plot may have been stopped in time, but Patel’s decision to break the news early appears to have detonated a different kind of firestorm — this one inside his own agency.
