Man threatening to kill ‘Christian filth’ if Trump re-elected is arrested in MI, feds say

The FBI arrested a Michigan man accused of threatening to carry out a deadly attack on conservative Christians if Donald Trump won the presidential election, feds say.

The 25-year-old man, Isaac Sissel, was arrested on the morning of Nov. 5, Election Day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a news release.

Based on votes counted as of Nov. 6, Trump did end up winning the election, earning a second term in the White House.

Sissel’s arrest came after the FBI received a tip, on Nov. 2, about a concerning post made online. He’s charged with sending a threatening communication.

“I shall carry out an attack against conservative christan, (sic) filth in the event trump wins the election,” it read. “I have a stolen ar15 and a target I refuse to name so I can continue to get away with my plans. Without a specific victim or ability to find the place I hid the gun, there’s not a thing the FBI can do until I complete the attack.”

Though Sissel had been staying in Ann Arbor, he was first confronted by authorities at a Travelodge in nearby Canton, WDIV reported. No gun was found in his hotel room, and Sissel said he had hidden the firearm, which he had stolen from inside of a vehicle, officials said.

Sissel also told authorities he had a “chemical irritant” in his pocket, and when he reached into his pocket they physically intervened, the station reported.

Sissel had several accounts on Reddit with names including “ShootUpTrumpRally” and “WillShootTrumpSoon,” MLive.com reported. Investigators connected the posts to Sissel using phone records and an IP address.

Sissel told officials Trump is dangerous and should be killed, and that more Americans on the left should embrace violence, the outlet reported.

The FBI’s Detroit Field Office is handling the investigation, federal officials said, adding that Sissel was scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 5.

Ann Arbor is a roughly 43-mile drive west from downtown Detroit.

Trump has survived two assassination attempts, one during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and another while he was playing golf in Florida. From what’s been unearthed about both of Trump’s would-be assassins, neither fit neatly on the left or right of the political spectrum, and in some instances exhibited seemingly contradictory behavior and views.

This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Man threatening to kill ‘Christian filth’ if Trump re-elected is arrested in MI, feds say."