The back door of the paper’s office after the attempted break in

DEARBORN — Two men attempted to break into The Arab American News Office early Friday morning.

The majority of the staff was at the office, finishing this week’s issue when multiple bangs were heard coming from the back of the building at 2:33 a.m.

Staff members originally believed it to be gunshots, as the backdoor had been damaged by what appeared to be a bullet hole.

The staff immediately rushed to a safe area of the office and the police were contacted.

Security footage revealed that the two men were lingering near the office minutes before they attempted to break through the back door. 

They peaked through the window, where the majority of the staff was visible, yet still proceeded with their attempt.

“We don’t know why these men came here, but what matters is that everybody is safe,” Arab American News reporter Hassan Khalifeh said. 

Khalifeh speculated that the suspects were armed.

“They knew we were inside,” he said. “There were 11 people in the newsroom. They wouldn’t confront us if they did not have guns.”

Dearborn Police arrived at the scene and are conducting an investigation.

Publisher Osama Siblani said no matter what the motive of the suspects was, they will not affect the newspaper’s stances.

“This cowardly attack will not deter us from continuing our journalistic mission,” Siblani said. “We have been here for 31 years. We have endured many threats in the past and they have not moved us from continuing to report the truth. We were fortunate that no one was harmed.”

The suspects drove away with a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

In a press release, Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad said detectives are hard at work trying to catch the suspects.