Senior law enforcement officials are peeved at FBI Director Kash Patel for jumping the gun on announcing the arrests of several suspects in an alleged Michigan terrorism plot.
Patel announced the arrests Friday in a post on his X account but provided scant details about the case, saying "the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend," but sources told NBC News that others in the bureau and Department of Justice weren't happy with his statement.
"[Carol Leonnig] and I are told that senior DOJ and FBI officials are frustrated that @FBIDirectorKash publicly disclosed the Michigan terror investigation before a criminal complaint was prepared and before key details were clear, including what exactly this plot entailed," reported NBC's Ken Dilanian. "These were young people radicalized online, we are told. Just how capable they were or how imminent this was remains to be seen."
The names of the five suspects have not been made public, but two senior law enforcement officials say they had access to guns, although officials said there was no current threat to the public.
Dearborn police confirmed on Facebook post that the FBI carried out an operation Friday morning in the city.
“The Dearborn Police Department has been made aware that the FBI conducted operations in the City of Dearborn earlier this morning,” police said.
Patel previously has faced criticism for posting details about the case against Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, which legal experts said could hinder prosecutors.