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A 19-year-old Michigan man has been charged with planning a mass killing at a synagogue on the fifth anniversary of the infamous mosque massacre in New Zealand.
A 19-year-old Michigan man has been charged with threatening a mass killing at a synagogue. (Photo: iStock)
19-Year-Old Michigan Man Charged with Planning Synagogue Massacre
Seann Patrick Pietila, a 19-year-old Michigan man in a township in Upper Peninsula, was apprehended on Friday and charged with transmitting threats to injure others, according to federal officials.
Prosecutors claim that the 19-year-old Michigan man intended to target the Shaarey Zedek congregation located in East Lansing, the Associated Press reported.
The investigation into the 19-year-old Michigan man began following a tip received earlier in the week regarding threatening messages on Instagram related to a planned mass killing.
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, FBI agents discovered a stockpile of weapons, knives, tactical equipment, a red-and-white Nazi flag, and makeshift plans for targeting members of the Shaarey Zedek congregation on March 15, 2024, when they arrested the Michigan man at his residence.
The 19-year-old Michigan man’s arrest occurred on the same day that a truck driver was convicted for his involvement in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018.
The attacker, motivated by antisemitism, stormed the Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 worshippers. This act of terror marked the deadliest assault on the Jewish community in U.S. history, with the assailant having expressed his hatred of Jewish people extensively on social media before the incident.
Rabbi Amy Bigman of Shaarey Zedek informed the congregation of 220 families about the ongoing investigation and the subsequent arrest after being notified by FBI agents on Friday afternoon.
She expressed gratitude for the proactive response of law enforcement authorities and emphasized that the synagogue would maintain its standard security measures during the upcoming services.
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Michigan Man’s Alleged Antisemitic Posts
The case in Michigan centers around the 19-year-old Michigan man’s alleged antisemitic posts on social media platforms.
The charges against the 19-year-old Michigan man stem from his alleged threats made on social media platforms, including Instagram, where he expressed support for neo-Nazi ideology, antisemitism, and glorification of mass shootings.
The Detroit News reported that his comments particularly referenced the 2019 shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, where a white supremacist gunman attacked two mosques, resulting in numerous fatalities.
Prosecutors argue that his posts made explicit references to the New Zealand mosque shooter, who is currently serving a life sentence for killing 51 people and injuring 40 others during the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019.
The 19-year-old Michigan man is currently being held without bond and awaits a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday in federal court in Grand Rapids.
If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. The 19-year-old Michigan man’s lawyer, Elizabeth LaCosse, declined to comment on the matter.
