Two men were arrested in New Jersey this week in connection with an investigation into a planned terror attack near Detroit over Halloween weekend, and another person was charged in Michigan in the alleged plot, according to officials.
Ayob Nasser, the brother of one of the men previously charged, was arrested Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Nasser's arrest brings the total number of people involved in the alleged plot in the greater Detroit area to five — three adults who have been charged and two juveniles.
Two New Jersey men were also arrested this week in connection to the planned attack, four law enforcement officials told NBC News.
A 19-year-old man was taken into custody Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airport, and another man was arrested Wednesday. They were identified as Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzal and Milo Sedarat, both of Montclair.
Jimenez-Guzal was charged Wednesday with two terror-related counts, conspiracy and attempt to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, NBC New York reported.
Sederat was charged with two counts of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, prosecutors said.
Two officials said the 19-year-old talked about wanting to train with the Islamic State terrorist group and had planned to fly to Turkey to try to travel to Syria.
He initially had plans to leave Nov. 17, but allegedly moved up his timeline following a raid last week at a home and storage unit in Detroit connected to the alleged Halloween weekend terror plot, the sources said. He was taken into custody in an airport food court.
According to available records, Sedarat’s father appears to be Roger Sedarat, an award-winning Iranian American poet and professor. He did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
The New Jersey arrests came days after two men, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, were charged in a federal criminal complaint with receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to transfer, firearms and ammunition, knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that the firearms and ammunition would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.
Nasser, whose charges were announced Wednesday, is the brother of Ali and lives at the same Michigan address, according to a 93-page amended complaint, which names the two men and Mahmoud.
Nasser was charged with the receiving and transferring charge, and he, Ali and Mahmoud have also been charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, the Islamic State group, according to the amended complaint.
Third-party communications between July and October include references to Ali and a juvenile identified as Person 1, and state they were planning to conduct an attack on behalf of the Islamic State group, according to the complaint.
The amended complaint includes new details about the alleged plot and the phone search history of another juvenile, Person 2. The search history included references to several deadly attacks, including the shooting at Pulse nightclub, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the New Orleans truck attack, the complaint stated.
It also included references to Islamic extremism and other attacks, including multiple searches for Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric with ties to the 9/11 hijackers, according to the complaint.
The complaint included exchanges in which several people, including Nasser, Person 1 and 2, and Ali discussed "fireworks" or "pumpkins," believed to be references to planning an attack on New Year's Eve or Halloween.
A forensic examination of a computer found in Ali and Nasser's home showed a search for “is it crowded on halloweekend at [amusement park].”
Nasser allegedly searched for video of the 2022 shooting at Tops Friendly Market and texted with a juvenile identified as Person 1 with a reference to a potential New Year’s Eve attack, the complaint said.
During a search of Ali and Mahmoud’s homes, federal agents found two shotguns, AR-15-style rifles, four handguns, ammunition, tactical vests and GoPro cameras, the complaint says. In a storage unit allegedly rented by Ali, agents recovered two tactical backpacks, 24 empty magazines and chest-rig vests, according to the complaint.
The complaint says that Ali allegedly bought an AR-15-style rifle, a shotgun and other firearm accessories, including a “forced reset trigger that allows a shooter to increase the rate of fire in a semiautomatic weapon.” The items were purchased in August and September, according to the complaint.
Mahmoud also allegedly purchased an AR-15-style rifle in September, as well as 1,600 rounds of ammunition a month later, the complaint says. The amended complaint notes that Nasser also purchased a rifle in September.
Amir Makled, a lawyer for Ali, said over the weekend that there is “no evidence” to back up the allegations. Makled and an attorney for Mahmoud did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
According to the complaint, the two men and one of the juveniles practiced shooting at gun ranges in September and October.
In September, Ali, Mahmoud and a minor co-conspirator allegedly made trips to Ferndale, Michigan, which is known for its bar and restaurant scene, according to the complaint. A federal agent wrote in the complaint that he believed the group was scouting locations for the alleged attack.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency "acted fast, followed the evidence, and likely saved countless lives."
