Michigan man's alleged foiled terrorist attack: Melvindale neighbors react
A Melvindale man's plan to carry out a domestic terrorist attack at a U.S. military base in Southeast Michigan was thwarted by undercover officers.
Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said had planned to assault the TACOM base in Warren on behalf of ISIS.
He was taken into custody on the day of the attack.
MELVINDALE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Melvindale man was arrested and placed behind bars Wednesday night after he allegedly tried to attack a military base in Warren.
Meanwhile, his neighbors are shocked that the investigation unfolded just steps from their home.
Big picture view
Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said was charged with two felony counts in the U.S. Eastern District of Michigan. He was taken into custody on the day he planned to carry out the assault on the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command, also known as TACOM.
Said's plan to attack the Detroit Arsenal facility in Warren was discovered by two undercover officers in April 2025.
Meanwhile, neighbors are stunned as many didn't know him or the family, saying everyone on the block is friendly but keeps to themselves. They, including Ann Messinger and Robert Mazur, never expected what happened on Wednesday.
"To, you know, come out of your bedroom and see all these cars and tanks—not tanks, but cars and everything—it's very scary. Very, very," Messinger said.
The quiet block of Henry Street in Melvindale was shaken by the scene that unfolded on Tuesday.
"I was going to watch TV yesterday and I turn around and I'm watching that all day. It was better than CSI. Really good stuff. It's shocking. It's scary," Mazur said.
"I was totally scared when all the FBI cars were there. And they wouldn't let us know what's going on," said Messinger.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Said planned to carry out the attack on May 13. Instead, he was arrested after traveling near TACOM and launching a drone to help carry out the attack.
Neighbors say the feds were in and out of his home for at least three hours.
Feds say Said, who was once a member of the Michigan Army National Guard, told undercover agents of his plan of attack, providing them with ammo.
Feds arrested him on Tuesday, the day he wanted to execute his plan.
What they're saying
The U.S. Attorney based in Michigan called any assistance to ISIS a reprehensible crime and a "threat to our entire nation."
"Our office will not tolerate such crimes or threats, and we will use the full weight of the law against anyone who engages in terrorism," attorney Jerome F. Gorgon said.
The commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command said the arrest of a former solider was a "sobering reminder of the importance of our counterintelligence efforts to identify and disrupt those who would seek to harm our nation."
"We urge all Soldiers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their chain of command, as the safety and security of our Army and our nation depends on our collective efforts to prevent insider threats," said Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox.
What's next
Said is expected to be arraigned on federal charges Wednesday afternoon.
He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count if convicted.
The Source
A press release from the Department of Justice was used in this story.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Detroit mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch pleaded guilty to 1993 assault involving ex-wife, records show
The Brief A Detroit mayoral candidate was previously convicted of assault and battery after an incident involving his then-wife in 1993. Solomon Kinloch threatened the woman with a knife and struck her in the head, court records and testimony from Southfield police show. DETROIT (FOX 2) - Solomon Kinloch, a candidate running for Detroit mayor, was previously convicted of assault and battery after an incident involving his then-wife more than three decades ago. The church pastor pleaded guilty after the 1993 incident that included allegations of domestic violence. Big picture view According to court records verified by the Oakland County Prosecutor, Kinloch assaulted his wife multiple times in the couple's Southfield apartment during an evening in 1993, leading to charges before an eventual plea deal. Testimony from the responding Southfield police officer includes details that Kinloch threw a glass at the victim, threatened her with a knife, and eventually struck her in the back of her head with the handle of the weapon. When the police arrived, the victim was bleeding from a cut she suffered on her hand, had scratches on her face, and could not walk because of injuries she suffered from the thrown glass, according to observations from the responding officer. Kinloch was charged with felonious assault before pleading guilty to the lesser charge of assault and battery. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation. Oakland County court records also show he violated his probation and had his sentence extended. Kinloch and the victim remained married for several more years before the two divorced in 2004. The other side FOX 2 reached out to Kinloch's campaign for comment. A spokesperson with the campaign responded with a statement saying: "More than thirty years ago as a nineteen-year-old, Pastor Kinloch made a mistake. He's never attempted to hide it or run from it. Rather, he has discussed it as part of his ministry and used it to help put countless others on the path to redemption. Pastor Kinloch preaches about second chances, forgiveness, and accepting that no one is perfect. Political rivals bringing this thirty-year-old incident up while people are voting is poli-tricks, but we will remain focused on delivering for Detroit, investing in neighborhoods, not just Downtown, attacking poverty, and creating opportunity for all Detroiters." State of the race While Detroit's mayoral primary is scheduled for Aug. 5, voting is already underway in the nonpartisan race. Absentee ballots have already been mailed out and early voting begins on July 26. Over several months, nine candidates who filed to run have jockeyed for the position. They include members of the city council, the business community, those with legal and police backgrounds, and others. The backstory Kinloch has positioned himself as a political outsider in the campaign to be Detroit's next mayor. Characterizing himself as a community leader with humble roots, he has led the Triumph Church in Detroit for decades. Serving at the helm since 1998, he helped grow the congregation into the tens of thousands with members across Metro Detroit. Kinloch has also scored significant endorsements during the campaign, including one from the United Auto Workers Union. The Source Details of this story were confirmed following a Freedom-of-information request made by Robert Davis, a community activist. He is not affiliated with any campaign. FOX 2 verified the story through Oakland County court records. Kinloch's identity in the police report was verified using his date of birth and the affidavit he signed when he announced a run for mayor.


Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
California teacher stabbed in neck while on Italian vacation is returning home
With every beat of his heart, 29-year-old Nicholas Pellegrino felt like he was another pump closer to death. The religion and Spanish teacher at San Francisco's Archbishop Riordan High School was at the San Donato Milanese train station in Milan, Italy, and he was bleeding out. It was just before noon on July 15, and Pellegrino was supposed to be on a two-hour train heading southeast to Florence but was instead grasping for hope that an ambulance would arrive in time to save him. Photos taken of him on the station floor showed his chest and shorts soaked in blood. After 15 minutes, paramedics arrived and rushed the Staten Island, N.Y., native to a local hospital, where he somehow survived being brutally slashed in the throat. Authorities say the attack was carried out by a group of North African migrants. Now, more than a week removed from what he described as 'ISIS-level barbarism,' Pellegrino confirmed to The Times he had recovered enough to fly back to New York on Thursday. 'Miracles still happen,' Pellegrino, a professed Catholic, said in a phone interview Wednesday evening. 'I'm grateful to be alive.' The train ride was supposed to have been a small blip in Pellegrino's day. He was leaving one set of friends in Northern Italy to join another in Tuscany on what was an Italian vacation before the start of the fall semester. Within minutes of boarding the train, Pellegrino said he was surveilled by four men sitting about 10 rows away from him. When he put his head down, one slashed his jugular vein with a pocketknife while another stole his laptop, clothes and passport, according to Pellegrino. One also violently ripped off a gold cross hanging around Pellegrino's neck. The 'thugs were not afraid of me,' Pellegrino said. 'They were armed with pocketknives and had the intent to murder me.' Pellegrino thought he would die as he dragged himself off the train and to a nearby platform. The attack happened around 11:30 a.m., according to authorities. Pellegrino boarded the train at a previous station. He said he thought of two things in the moments after the attack. 'A, I was looking around to see where the suspects were just to make sure they wouldn't come around to finish me off,' he said. 'And then, B, I felt the blood literally pumping out of me with each beat and just hoped the ambulance would arrive on time.' Pellegrino was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he received emergency care to stabilize the wound, according to Italian medi. He was then moved to an intensive care unit, where he received nine stitches. He had been hospitalized there from July 15 to Sunday, then was staying with a friend until his flight to the U.S. The Italian newspaper Milano Today reported that two 21-year-old men were detained by police on suspicion of aggravated robbery. Pellegrino said he testified in court Wednesday and the pair were now facing more serious charges of premeditated attempted homicide. He said authorities found his gold cross and chain inside one of the suspect's intestinal tracts. The two hailed from Tunisia and are part of a gang, according to Milano Today. 'The police told me I was the seventh victim they attacked over a 48-hour stretch,' Pellegrino said. 'That's crazy stuff; that's something from a movie.' Although the alleged perpetrators fled the train platform, they were identified through CCTV footage, according to Milano Today. The two men were arrested attempting to board a bus carrying a switchblade and a stolen pendant, the news outlet reported. Pellegrino said two other suspects standing guard at the time of his attack were also arrested. Italian authorities did not respond to a call from The Times, nor did anyone from the American Consulate in Milan. With his passport still not recovered, Pellegrino confirmed that he was granted a temporary passport to return home. 'I was told these guys had previously served six months on various other small robberies,' Pellegrino said. 'These are evil people with bad intent.' Before working at the San Francisco high school, Pellegrino was a teacher and track coach at Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, N.Y. One of his friends and former students, Finn McCole, set up a GoFundMe along with other former students of Pellegrino. 'We are setting up this GoFundMe to help Nick pay for any medical expenses incurred during his hospital stay, and to replace his lost valuables,' McCole wrote on the page. 'Finn's a great guy and a former student-athlete of mine and we're still friends,' Pellegrino said. 'I'm surprised by that amount of money, and it just goes to show that even though teaching is a thankless job, the students are craving and grateful for a role model.'


Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Severity of crime trended down in 2024 for Williams Lake
The volume and severity of crimes reported by police in Williams Lake was lower in 2024 compared to 2023. 'Everything is down,' said Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor about the city's Crime Severity Index (CSI) results for 2024, published on Tuesday, July 22 by Statistics Canada. 'I'm concerned, don't take me wrong, but I think what the local leadership is working on is working,' he said, adding that it was his job as mayor to protect and provide safety to the city. In 2024, crime severity in the municipality of Williams Lake decreased by 23 per cent from the year prior and rural Williams Lake saw a nine per cent decrease. The violent crime severity index in the municipality was reduced by 26 per cent and non violent by 22 per cent. Over 10 years, the index saw only a 0.4 per cent overall CSI reduction for the municipality, but an 11 per cent reduction for rural Williams Lake. Nevertheless, it's a big change for the city in B.C.'s Interior which saw an increase in the severity of police reported crimes in 2023. 'It's good to see these numbers down,' Rathor said. 'Credit goes not only to RCMP but to all the community, everybody is doing their part.' The mayor emphasized the importance of collaboration when working on building a safe community, not only among the leaders and authorities but with each and every individual who reports crime or unusual behaviour to the police. 'And that's what I expect, I expect nothing less than that,' Rathor said. 'Community safety cannot rest solely on the shoulders of police alone,' said Williams Lake RCMP Staff Sgt. Brad McKinnon in a statement to the Tribune. 'A multi-pronged, preventative approach is needed in our efforts to continue reducing crime and improve community sense of safety in our city.' McKinnon said the CSI results indicate that crime is down in Williams Lake and reflect what the local police detachment has been seeing daily. 'The Williams Lake detachment's top priority has been to reduce crime,' McKinnon said, which is being accomplished by focusing resources on locations identified as concerns. He said officers have been collaborating with multiple agencies 'to intervene and support people before their situations become acute,' and police visibility has been increased on the streets, in parks and in known problem areas. McKinnon also said RCMP have been proactive in taking an analytical approach to preventing crime and targeting repeat and violent offenders. 'Many crimes are crimes of opportunity and are preventable,' McKinnon added. 'So we remind people that property crime can be reduced by locking our doors, our vehicles and securing our bicycles.' In the last decade, 2020 and 2023 yielded the highest results on the index for the municipality of Williams Lake, while 2019 and 2021 were higher for rural Williams Lake. The lakecity also ranked ninth among B.C. jurisdictions with the highest CSIs, calculated by adjusting the crime rate based on the severity of the crime. However, the index does not account for specific demographics and can be misinterpreted without considering the context of an area. Significant statistical anomalies can occur for municipalities with small population bases, particularly if they are a hub for their region. A single prolific offender, or a small number of particularly violent crimes such as murder or aggravated assault can result in significant swings as crimes are weighted by severity to calculate the index. In June, additional resources were sent to Williams Lake to help address disturbances in the city's downtown as the question of declaring a state of local emergency was floated. 'I'm concerned for the overall well-being of our my job as a mayor to protect and to provide the safety and look after the safety of our citizens, as a mayor and council it's our job,' Rathor said. Across the country, the rate of police-reported crime was down in 2024. In B.C., the crime rate decreased by seven per cent from 2023 to 2024 and the CSI decreased by 11 per cent. Over the past 10 years, B.C.'s crime rate was down eight per cent, but the severity index is up by three. With files from Mark Page and Thom Barker. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .