Copyright NBC10 Boston
Two New Jersey men were arrested this week in connection with the investigation into a planned terror attack near Detroit over Halloween weekend, four law enforcement officials told NBC News. A 19-year-old man was taken into custody on Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airport, and another man was arrested on Wednesday. They were identified as Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzal and Milo Sederat, both of Montclair. Two officials said the 19-year-old talked about wanting to train with the terror group ISIS and had planned to fly to Turkey to try to travel to Syria. The 19-year-old initially had plans to leave on Nov. 17, but allegedly moved up his timeline following a raid last week at Detroit homes and a storage unit connected to an alleged Halloween weekend terror plot, the sources said. He was taken into custody in an airport terminal food court. The 19-year-old and the other Montclair man are expected to appear in Newark federal court on Wednesday, when details of the charges are expected to be announced. Their arrests came days after two men, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, were charged via 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. Ali and an unnamed juvenile were referenced in third-party communications from July to October of this year, according to the complaint. The alleged conversations referred to them as “brothers” and said they were planning to conduct an attack on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group. 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. Amir Makled, a lawyer for Ali, previously said 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 on Wednesday. According to the complaint, the two men and the juvenile practiced shooting at multiple 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. During a search of Ali and Mahmoud’s home, 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.
