Violent political threats lead to arrests and charges in Michigan

On Election Day, two men were arrested in Michigan: one man allegedly sent threatening messages to authorities during an FBI interview and talked about the assassination of Donald Trump, and the other man – who, according to the FBI, bragged about it in his communications his extremist ties – because he promised he would. injuring or killing members of an unnamed political action committee.

The FBI and Justice Department announced the arrests Tuesday afternoon.

According to authorities, 25-year-old Michigan man Isaac Sissel was arrested Tuesday and charged with sending threatening messages.

The FBI said in court filings that the social media site Reddit voluntarily reported disturbing posts from a user named “ShootUpTrumpRally,” who also went by similar names to “WillShootTrumpSoon” and “PlanningToShootTrump.”

Authorities said they were able to identify Sissel by tracing his IP address to the University of Michigan. According to court records, the FBI National Threat Center in West Virginia received an anonymous threat on its website on November 2.

The threat read: “I will launch an attack on conservative Christian filth if Trump wins the election. I stole ar1 and a target I refuse to name so I can continue to get away 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 FBI said it responded to the message by asking about access to weapons.

“I already got that shit,” came one response.

Authorities said they were able to trace the message to Sissel’s phone and then interviewed him Monday at a Travelodge motel in Canton.

No firearms, ammunition or other similar equipment were found, but officers said that wasn’t surprising because Sissel had claimed he “hid the gun.”

During the interview, Sissel reportedly commented that Trump was a “threat” and a “piece of shit” and that he thought Trump should have been killed.

“Sissel said he would not kill Trump, but if he knew someone was going to kill Trump, it was his (Sissel’s) duty not to intervene,” an FBI statement said.

Although authorities located Sissel in Ann Arbor, he allegedly told them he had access to firearms when he lived in Washington state, but not when he was in Michigan. The FBI said it does not appear he has had a “consistent whereabouts” and that Sissel had IDs from New York and Washington.

Sissel was in Michigan the same day Trump had a rally in the state.

After his arrest on Tuesday morning, Sissel made his first appearance before a magistrate, and records show he is currently being held. His next court date is November 7 at 1 p.m

Elsewhere in Michigan, authorities have arrested and charged 46-year-old Jackson resident Christopher Pierce.

An FBI affidavit reviewed by HuffPost on Tuesday shows that Pierce is accused of sending two online messages on Oct. 2 threatening to injure or kill people associated with a political action committee. The PAC is not named in the lawsuits.

Prosecutors said Pierce used an easily identifiable Gmail account to send messages to the PAC. In the field where he had to enter his name on a message form sent to the PAC, Pierce allegedly wrote: “Your worst damn nightmare.”

The message promised to “find every damn organiser” (sic) and seemed to suggest he might be a member of – or at least sympathetic to – the far right. “Three percent” network.

‘I’m a member of those three American patriot fucks. And we’ll turn you bastards inside out. I already found one of your call centers (sic). You shut this thing down, or we’ll shut it down for you permanently,” the message continued.

It was also called vice president Kamala Harris ‘Kamala Harrisis’, a reference to the terrorist network Isis.

Pierce is accused of sending a separate electronic message in October promising that the “Americanpatriot three” were “trained killers” “trained by Uncle Sam” and that the PAC’s “call centers had been located.”

“Don’t let these boys and girls go to work,” Pierce allegedly wrote.

The FBI said they interviewed Pierce at his Jackson home on Oct. 30 and that he was “generally hostile” toward officers while speaking to them through his screen door.

Officers said they read Pierce’s messages to him, but he “stated that he did not view the emails as threatening.”

Prosecutors noted in a criminal complaint that this is not the first time Pierce has been involved in making threats.

On June 29, 2022, the FBI alleges that Pierce used an Instagram account with the username “pierce_overheard_door” to lash out at a witness who publicly testified before the now-defunct House select committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to research. .

Court records do not name the witness, but the date of Pierce’s alleged position suggests he was referring to witness Cassidy Hutchinson, a former police deputy. Donald Trump‘s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

Hutchsinon delivered explosive testimonies to the committee of January 6, including revelations that the former president knew that rioters were armed but believed they would not hurt him.

The 29 June A message from Pierce cited by prosecutors stated that “what comes next” would “make January 6 look like a Sunday walk in the park” and that Hutchinson was committing “career suicide.”

“Where exactly in the world does she think she can hide from one of the richest men in the world in his army? Because there isn’t a politician in this country who would come within 100 miles of this bitch! You can’t be trusted! And we all know what happens to traitors,” Pierce allegedly wrote.

FBI agents said they interviewed Pierce at his home in September 2022 about those messages. Agents claimed they also asked Pierce about a comment he made suggesting there would be “no elections in 2024.” In response, Pierce allegedly told officers he was trying to “highlight an ongoing movement that encourages voters not to cast a ballot at all.”

“He stated that the federal government was ‘fake’ and ‘illegitimate’ anyway, which he said was the reason the FBI showed up at his door to intimidate him,” according to an FBI affidavit.

During that same interview, the officers said they warned Pierce that making threats could lead to federal criminal charges. Pierce is said to have responded that “the country will soon descend into civil war.”

It is unclear whether Pierce has retained an attorney. He was released on $10,000 bail and will appear in court on November 26.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told CNN On Tuesday afternoon, he reported that the state has received threats that are “serious in nature” while the election is underway, but that none are “deemed credible.”