Nessel’s office mum on reason for FBI raids in Ypsilanti, Canton, Ann Arbor

Officials have confirmed at least three raids in and around Washtenaw County but have yet to say why the raids occurred.

Law enforcement executed search warrants in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton on Wednesday, April 23, Danny Wimmer, spokesperson for the Michigan Attorney General’s office, said.

One raid took place around 8:30 a.m. in the 200 block of North Summit Street in Ypsilanti. A second raid took place in the 50000 block of Scarborough Road in Canton, with roughly 20 people gathered outside around 10:40 a.m.

It is unclear where in Ann Arbor the other raid took place. The Ann Arbor Police Department was involved in the investigation, police spokesman Chris Page said.

“The investigation is related to reported crimes committed in the City of Ann Arbor as well as other jurisdictions,” he said.

Wimmer did not confirm if there were multiple warrants being executed in each jurisdiction.

The TAHRIR Coalition, a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, asked members to go to the Canton and Ypsilanti homes in a statement released Wednesday morning. The group alleged that the raid is targeting protesters who support Palestine amid the war in Gaza.

Read more: 3 detained, released in FBI raid on Ypsilanti home

Wimmer did not confirm if the warrants are related to pro-Palestinian activism.

“We’re not discussing the nature of the investigation at this time,” Wimmer told MLive/The Ann Arbor News.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not involved in the warrants and all subjects are believed to be American citizens, Wimmer added.

Although Canton police were on scene at the Scarborough Road home, it is unclear if anyone was detained. No official FBI cars were seen.

At least three people were detained and then released at the Ypsilanti home.

The FBI, as well as Michigan State Police and the Ypsilanti Police Department, were still on scene as of 10 a.m. FBI could be seen going into the home.

FBI spokesperson Jordan Hall confirmed the agency’s presence in Ypsilanti, saying the agency is conducting “law enforcement activities.”

Ypsilanti Police Department confirmed in a post on social media that it was aware of the FBI presence and said immigration enforcement was not on scene. The department was there for crowd control, it said.

Both police and a few dozen bystanders began clearing the Ypsilanti scene around 10:30 a.m.

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