Virginia Man Facing Terrorism Charges After Threatening to Attack Dearborn Mosque with AR-15 Rifle

A Virginia man has been indicted on terrorism charges after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan. Federal authorities identified the suspect as 32-year-old Macin Horstemeyer of Lynchburg, Virginia, who is being held without bond at Blue Ridge Regional Jail. Prosecutors said he faces multiple counts, including making public threats, soliciting terrorism, and conspiring to commit a terrorist act.

According to a criminal complaint, Horstemeyer told officers during an interview last week that if he were to stage an attack, he would target a mosque in Dearborn with an AR-15 rifle. Investigators said his threats began in February and spanned several months, appearing in YouTube comment sections where he allegedly posted violent rhetoric directed at Muslims and Black people.

Google flagged the comments and referred them to the FBI, which later confirmed that Horstemeyer had expressed admiration for white supremacist Dylann Roof, who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. While Horstemeyer admitted to holding white supremacist views, he denied affiliation with any extremist organizations.

In a separate case, the FBI and Dearborn Heights police are investigating threats made against the Islamic Institute of America, located at Ford Road and Kinloch Street in Dearborn Heights. Authorities say a caller threatened to “burn it down” and in another instance made a bomb threat.

Police Chief Ahmed Haider told TCD News: “We take these threats with the utmost seriousness and are working hand-in-hand with the FBI to ensure the safety of our community. No house of worship in Dearborn Heights will ever be left vulnerable. Our message is clear — anyone who targets people of faith will face the full weight of law enforcement.”

Officers have since been stationed at the mosque’s front entrance as worshipers continue prayers. This marks the second mosque in Dearborn Heights targeted by threats in recent days.

If you value our journalism…

TMJ News is committed to remaining an independent, reader-funded news platform. A small donation from our valuable readers like you keeps us running so that we can keep our reporting open to all! We’ve launched a fundraising campaign to raise the $10,000 we need to meet our publishing costs this year, and it’d mean the world to us if you’d make a monthly or one-time donation to help. If you value what we publish and agree that our world needs alternative voices like ours in the media, please give what you can today.