Foiled: FBI Stops ISIS Terror Plot Targeting Detroit Military Base

FBI background — Photo: Willie Pena/ Shutterstock

A 19-year-old Michigan man and former National Guard member has been arrested for attempting to carry out a mass-casualty terror attack on a U.S. military installation in Warren, federal officials announced Wednesday.

The suspect, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said of Melvindale, allegedly plotted an assault on the Army's Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which is officially designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.

According to a federal complaint, Said is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and with distributing bomb-making instructions, charges that each carry up to 20 years in prison.

Authorities say Said worked with undercover FBI agents posing as ISIS operatives. He allegedly supplied them with armor-piercing ammunition and magazines, trained them in firearms use and Molotov cocktail construction, and provided drone surveillance footage of the military base. He also offered tactical advice, including entry routes and ideal targets within the facility.

On May 13, the planned day of the attack, Said was arrested while operating a drone near the base in preparation for the strike.

"This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS," said Sue J. Bai of the DOJ’s National Security Division. "Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost."

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U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. added, “Helping ISIS or any terrorist group commit violence is not just a crime, it’s an attack on our nation and our values.”

The FBI and Army Counterintelligence Command led the investigation. Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox praised the operation, calling it a critical success in countering insider threats.

Said is being held pending trial, with prosecutors citing him as a serious threat to public safety. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is continuing its investigation.