ISIS claims to have terrorists in US, including Michigan

Claim hasn't been authenticated, but FBI taking it seriously

DETROIT – A new threat claims ISIS has trained soldiers inside the United States, including in Michigan. The claim of stateside ISIS agents hasn't been authenticated, but law enforcement is still taking the threat seriously.

A social media post claims that ISIS has dozens of trained soldiers in Michigan and 14 other states prepared to carry out terrorist attacks.

The post's author specifically threatened to kill the woman who organized a "draw Muhammed" contest in Texas. ISIS has already claimed responsibility for a shooting at that event and they promising more violence.

Virginia, Illinois, Maryland and California were also named as locations of ISIS cells and the group promises an "interesting" next six months.

Whether the threat is real, authorities say it points to their real concern over lone wolf attacks carried out in the name of ISIS.

"The biggest issue we face is terrorists around the world who reach out to radicalize individuals toward violence and to recruit people to become terrorists or join terrorists organizations," said FBI agent Paul Abate told Local 4 earlier this year about possible lone wolf attacks.

As for this current potential threat, the FBI issued the following statement: "The FBI is aware of the threat and has been investigating ISIS and other extremist groups who are attempting to radicalize people via the internet for some time. They are not commenting on claims made in this or any specific threat."


About the Author:

You can watch Kimberly Gill weekdays anchoring Local 4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and streaming live at 10 p.m. on Local 4+. She's an award-winning journalist who finally called Detroit home in 2014. Kim has won Regional Emmy Awards, and was part of the team that won the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in 2022.