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 affidavit submitted by the FBI, they found evidence the man was sending threatening messages on social media in September and November 2024.
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Threats on Reddit, anonymous tip
The investigation began on Sept. 23, 2024, when Reddit voluntarily reported user “ShootUpTrumpRally,” as the account was targeting the former president. Reddit also linked three other user accounts through the same name and IP history that represented a similar threat—“/WillShootTrumpSoon,” “PlanningToShootTrump” and “PlanningToKillTrump.”
The IP address Reddit provided showed the user had access to the internet at the University of Michigan. After searching through user accounts through a T-Mobile IP address, they found that the Reddit accounts were used in a phone owned by Isaac Sissel.
On Nov. 2, 2024, the FBI National Threat Operations Center in West Virginia received an anonymous online submission threatening to shoot conservative Christians.
“I shall carry out an attack against conservative Christian filth in the event 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 ability to find the place I hid the gun, there’s not a thing the FBI can do until I complete the attack.”
The tip also said the attacker would use an AR-15, hollow-point ammunition and a chemical irritant.
When law enforcement tracked where the message came from, it was sent from the same phone owned by Sissel.
Law enforcement search Sissel’s room, question him
On Nov. 4, 2024, law enforcement talked to Sissel in his room at the Travelodge in Canton. Sissel consented to police searching his motel room, where nothing was found.
Sissel said he “hid the gun” and had a chemical irritant in his pocket. When he started to pull an object believed to be the chemical irritant, officers stopped him.
Sissel also said Trump should have been assassinated and that everything would be better if Trump were dead. Sissel then said he couldn’t kill the former president, but he would not intervene if he knew someone was going to assassinate Trump.
More details on 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 clinic patients, telling them he was selling drugs and mocking their religion.
Sissel also said there was someone at the clinic he hated and was “committed 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 the car he stole in the past, but he did not own any at the time.
Sissel did tell police he slept with a knife at night in the Ann Arbor area. He would also regularly hide his belongings in a waterproof bag where he slept. He would hide the things so that he could go through the University of Michigan campus without being identified as transient.
Law enforcement found that Sissel did not have a consistent residence. He has a Washington state and New York state driver’s license 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 to owning the phone that was used in making the threats on Nov. 2 and Sept. 23.
He was arrested on Nov. 5, 2024, and appeared in court that afternoon.
