Man charged with sending threatening messages in Ann Arbor to kill Trump and shoot Christians

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A man is facing federal charges for allegedly threatening to kill former President Donald Trump and shoot conservative Christians by sending messages on social media in Ann Arbor.

In an FBI affidavit, they found evidence that the man sent threatening messages on social media in September and November 2024.

Threats on Reddit, anonymous tip

The investigation began on September 23, 2024, when Reddit voluntarily reported user ‘ShootUpTrumpRally’ for targeting the former president. Reddit also linked three other user accounts via the same name and IP history that represented a similar threat: “/WillShootTrumpSoon,” “PlanningToShootTrump,” and “PlanningToKillTrump.”

The IP address provided by Reddit showed that the user was accessing the Internet at the University of Michigan. After searching user accounts through a T-Mobile IP address, they discovered that the Reddit accounts were being used in a phone owned by Isaac Sissel.

On November 2, 2024, the FBI National Threat Operations Center in West Virginia received an anonymous online submission threatening to shoot conservative Christians.

“I will launch an attack on conservative Christian filth if Trump wins the election. I have a stolen AR-15 and a target that I refuse to name so I can continue with my plans. “Without a specific victim or the ability to find where I hid the weapon, the FBI can’t do anything until I complete the attack.”

The tip also stated that the attacker would use an AR-15, hollow point ammunition and a chemical irritant.

When police discovered where the message came from, it was sent from the same phone owned by Sissel.

Law enforcement officers search Sissel’s room and question him

On November 4, 2024, police spoke with Sissel in his room at the Travelodge in Canton. Sissel agreed to allow police to search his motel room, but nothing was found.

Sissel said he “hid the gun” and had a chemical irritant in his pocket. When he began to pull an object believed to be a chemical irritant, officers stopped him.

Sissel also said that Trump should have been killed and that everything would be better if Trump was dead. Sissel then said that he could not kill the former president, but that he would not intervene if he knew someone was going to kill Trump.

More details about suspect

Sissel often slept near a rehab facility in Ann Arbor. He said he was angry at the people who visited the clinic and called them Christians. He said he regularly harassed clinic patients, telling them he was selling drugs and mocking their religion.

Sissel also said there was someone at the clinic he hated and who was “committed to violence” against that person over their dispute.

When law enforcement asked Sissel about guns, he said he had access to a firearm when he lived in Washington state and was given a gun from the car he had stolen in the past, but did not own one at the time.

Sissel told police he slept with a knife at night in the Ann Arbor area. He also regularly hid his belongings in a waterproof bag in which he slept. He would hide things so he could pass through the University of Michigan campus without being identified as transient.

Law enforcement discovered that Sissel had no fixed abode. He has driver’s licenses in Washington State and New York and has no known address in Michigan.

Sissel told police he had plans to move to Boston in December 2024 and would stay in the Canton and Ann Arbor area for the rest of the week.

Suspect arrested

Sissel admitted ownership of the phone used in making the threats on November 2 and September 23.

He was arrested on November 5, 2024 and appeared in court that afternoon.