In Michigan, a defense attorney is challenging claims made by FBI Director Kash Patel regarding a group of young individuals accused of plotting a terror attack during Halloween weekend. The lawyer, Amir Makled, is representing a 20-year-old from Dearborn who, along with four others, was arrested as part of this investigation.

On Friday, Patel announced the arrests but provided limited details, promising more information would follow. Despite this, both the FBI and Michigan officials have remained mostly silent, with neither the state nor national FBI offices, nor the U.S. Attorney in Detroit, offering immediate responses to inquiries as of Saturday.

Makled, after examining the situation, confidently stated that he sees no evidence of a planned terror attack. He noted that federal authorities have shared minimal information with him and expressed skepticism about the prospect of any charges being brought against his client.

“I don’t know where this hysteria and this fearmongering came from,” Makled remarked, dismissing the allegations as unfounded.

The defense attorney further described the group as simply a bunch of gamers, with all members being U.S. citizens aged between 16 and 20, suggesting that the accusations may be misplaced.

“If these young men were on forums that they should not have been on or things of that nature, then we’ll have to wait and see,” Makled said. “But I don’t believe that there’s anything illegal about any of the activity they were doing.”

Authorities said Friday after the arrests were made that there was no further threat to public safety. Patel had announced in a post on X that “the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.”

Investigators allege the plan was inspired by Islamic State group extremism. It wasn’t immediately clear if the had the means to carry out an attack, but the reference to Halloween prompted the FBI to make arrests Friday, one of the people familiar with the investigation told the AP.

Patel credited the vigilance of the FBI, along with help from local authorities, with thwarting the plot.

Since the 9/11 terror attacks, the FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters, supplying advice and equipment.

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