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

ANN ARBOR, MI. — A man is facing federal charges for allegedly threatening to kill former President Donald Trump and shoot conservative Christians in social media posts in Ann Arbor.

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

Threats on Reddit, anonymous advice

The investigation began on September 23, 2024, when Reddit voluntarily reported the user “ShootUpTrumpRally” because the account was targeting the former president. Reddit also linked three other user accounts with the same name and IP address history that posed a similar threat: “/WillShootTrumpSoon”, “PlanningToShootTrump” and “PlanningToKillTrump”.

An IP address provided by Reddit showed that the user had internet access at the University of Michigan. After searching user accounts for T-Mobile’s IP address, they discovered that the Reddit accounts were being used on a phone belonging to Isaac Sissel.

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

“I will launch an attack on conservative Christian dirt if Trump wins the election. I have a stolen AR-15 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 gun, the FBI can’t do anything until I complete the attack.”

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

When law enforcement traced where the message came from, it was sent from the same phone that belonged to Sissel.

Law enforcement searches Sissel’s room and questions him.

On November 4, 2024, law enforcement spoke with Sissel in his room at the Travelodge in Canton. Sissel agreed to have police 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 what was believed to be a chemical irritant, the police stopped him.

Sissel also said that Trump should have been killed and that everything would be better if Trump were dead. Sissel then said he couldn’t kill the former president, but he wouldn’t get involved if he knew someone was going to kill Trump.

Details about the suspect

Sissel often spent the night near a rehabilitation clinic in Ann Arbor. He said he was angry at the people who visited the clinic and called them Christians. He said he often harassed the clinic’s patients, telling them he sold drugs and ridiculing their religion.

Sissel also said there was someone at the clinic he hated and was “committed to violence” against that person because of their argument.

When law enforcement asked Sicel about the gun, he said he had access to firearms while living in Washington state and obtained a gun from a car he had stolen in the past, but did not have one at the time.

Sissel told police he slept with a knife in the Ann Arbor area overnight. He also regularly hid his belongings in a waterproof bag where he slept. He hid these items in order to get through the University of Michigan campus without being identified as a transient.

Law enforcement authorities determined that Sissel did not have a permanent place of residence. He has driver’s licenses in Washington and New York states and has no known address in Michigan.

Sissel told police he planned to move to Boston in December 2024 and would remain in Canton and Ann Arbor through the end of the week.

Suspect arrested

Sissel admitted to owning the phone that was used to make threats on November 2 and September 23.

He was arrested on November 5, 2024 and appeared in court on the same day.