Federal authorities arrested two additional suspects linked to a thwarted Halloween terror plot, according to law enforcement sources. The individuals, identified as Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzal and Milo Sederat, were taken into custody on November 4 as part of an ongoing investigation that could lead to further arrests. The New York City Police Department’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau assisted federal agencies in locating the suspects. It remains unclear whether the two are among the unnamed co-conspirators mentioned in earlier court documents.
Federal prosecutors charged Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both 20-year-old residents of Dearborn, Michigan, in connection with the same plot. Court filings reveal the plan targeted LGBT nightclubs in Ferndale, Michigan. Investigators allege the suspects stockpiled weapons, practiced shooting, and scouted attack sites. A juvenile and other unidentified accomplices were also referenced in the criminal complaint.
Authorities stated the group code-named their operation “Pumpkin” and drew inspiration from prior mass-casualty radical Islamic terror attacks, including the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and the 2015 Bataclan concert hall attack in Paris. During raids last Friday, FBI agents recovered numerous firearms, tactical equipment, and over 1,600 rounds of ammunition from the homes of Ali and Mahmoud, as well as a shared storage unit. Both men are being held without bail and are set for detention hearings in Detroit on Monday. Court appearances for Jimenez-Guzal and Sederat have not yet been scheduled.
The case follows previous arrests linked to Islamic extremist plots, including an Afghan national who pleaded guilty last year to conspiring with ISIS for a planned Election Day attack after entering the U.S. through a Special Immigrant Visa program. Earlier in 2024, authorities arrested 18-year-old Alexander Scott Mercurio of Idaho for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on local churches using firearms and firebombs.
