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Mohmed Ali (grey shirt) and Ayob Nasser (black shirt) at Downriver gun shop on 9/25 (Govt. photo)
A Detroit federal grand jury on Thursday indicted three Dearborn men already behind bars in what authorities previously alleged was a plot around Halloween to possibly attack LGBTQ+-friendly clubs in Ferndale and the Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio, a popular destination for Michiganders.
The indictment alleges that Ayob Nasser, 19, his brother Mohmed Ali, 20, and Majed Mahmoud, 20, are linked to ISIS and “conspired to receive and transfer firearms — specifically at least one AR-15-style rifle and some amount of 5.56mm ammunition — knowing and having reasonable cause to believe the firearms and ammunition would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.”
The men had already been arrested and charged in a criminal complaint, which is signed by a federal agent, approved by a federal prosecutor, and reviewed by a magistrate judge. A grand jury indictment -- handed down by a panel of citizens after reviewing evidence -- is the next required step in the federal system before a felony case can proceed to trial.
Thursday’s indictment is relatively vague and does not include many specifics about alleged plots. Some indictments contain more detail than others.
In all, eight people in three different states have been charged in the case.
One of the attorneys, Amir Makled, previously told the media that the men were all bluster and had no intention of harming anyone.
