ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A man faces federal charges for allegedly threatening to kill former President Donald Trump and shooting conservative Christians, posting messages on social media in Ann Arbor.

In an affidavit provided by the FBI, they found evidence that the man was sending 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 the user “ShootUpTrumpRally” because the account targeted the former president. Reddit also linked three other user accounts by the same name and IP history that posed a similar threat: “/WillShootTrumpSoon,” “PlanningToShootTrump,” and “PlanningToKillTrump.”

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

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

“I will go on the offensive against conservative Christian filth if Trump wins the election. I have a stolen AR-15 and a target I refuse to name so I can keep getting 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 finish the attack.”

The tip also said the attacker would use an AR-15, spiked ammunition and a chemical irritant.

When law enforcement traced where the message came from, it was sent from the same phone owned by Sissel.

The lawmen search Sissel’s room, question him

On November 4, 2024, law enforcement officers spoke with Sissel in his room at the Travelodge in Canton. Sissel agreed to have police search his motel room, where nothing was found.

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

Sissel also said that Trump should have been assassinated and that everything would be better if Trump were 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 assassinate Trump.

More details about the suspect

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

Sissel also said there was someone at the clinic he hated and was “composed to violence” against this person because of their dispute.

When law enforcement asked Sissel about guns, he said he had access to a firearm when he lived in Washington state and got a gun from a car he stole in the past, but he didn’t own one in the past. that moment.

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 where he slept. He would hide things so he could walk through the University of Michigan campus without being identified as a passerby.

Law enforcement officers found that Sissel had no permanent residence. He has a Washington state and New York state driver’s license and no known address in Michigan.

Sissel told police he planned to move to Boston in December 2024 and would be staying in the Canton and Ann Arbor area for the rest of the week.

Suspect arrested

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

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