(WWJ) - An Upper Peninsula man who allegedly threatened to carry out a mass killing at an East Lansing synagogue and was arrested by federal agents on Friday.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced that Seann Pietela, 19, of Pickford, Michigan was taken into custody by the FBI on June 16 and charged in a criminal complaint with transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure another.
As outlined in a 43-page criminal complaint, Pietela is accused of communicating with others on Instagram and evinced a neo-Nazi ideology, antisemitism, glorification of past mass shooters, and a desire and intent to mimic past mass shooters or mass casualty events.
“No American should face threats against them based on their race or religion,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Crimes like the one alleged in this complaint have a profound effect not only on the intended target, but on their entire community. I would like to thank the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office for their close collaboration during this investigation. Every Michigander should rest assured that law enforcement at all levels are working together to ensure that those who engage in this type of behavior see justice under the law."
FBI agents said they became aware of Pietela's activity on June 13 after they received a report that an Instagram user was telling others about a plan to commit acts of violence to kill other people.
In the messages provided in the complaint, the user spoke about unsuccessfully dating, carrying knives, a variety of mental health issues, like insomnia and ADHA, and a plan to carry out an attack.
"I had plans already made back in March, but I started dating her so I cancelled them," the messages read. "Reminds me, she tried to blame me of cheating a few days ago! Like the f---? Me cheat? I find that s--- so disgusting. Loyalty or death is what I live by. All because I posted the grenade vest picture on my story instead of sending it to her. LMAO that’s actually hilarious. I’ll study the buildings layout don’t worry."
"We would surely inspire others to take arms against the Jewish controlled state. I only chose the 15th to mimic B.T’s attack," the user responded in the message thread in reference to Brenton Tarrant, an Australian far-right extremist who fatally shot 51 people in New Zealand in 2019.
Agents were able to trace the messages and identified Pietela as a suspect.
On June 16th, agents executed a federal search warrant on the 19-year-old's Pickford home in the Upper Peninsula. Law enforcement seized ammunition, magazines, a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, various knives, firearms accessories, tactical vests, mask, a Nazi flag, a ghillie suit, gas masks, and military sniper/survival manuals.
Federal agents also seized Pietela’s phone. In the Notes app, he wrote down his alleged target as East Lansing's Congregation Shaarey Zedek, a date of March 15, 2024, and a list of equipment, the complaint stated.
Pietela was arrested and lodged at the Chippewa County Correctional Facility, in Sault Saint Marie. During questioning, Pietela told agents that he had previously lived with his mother in East Lansing near the Michigan State University Campus. He had moved to the U.P. a week prior to June 16.
"Based on [Pietela's] admissions, he was most likely located in East Lansing, Michigan when he communicated the threats over Instagram," agents said in the complaint.
According to agents, Pietela admitted to being the user that communicated the threats on Instagram. He also mentioned he planned on using a 12-guage shotgun found by authorities to kill himself and had wrote a suicide note in his iPhone.
The Chippewa County Sheriff's Office, TRI-county Drug ENforcement Team (TRIDENT), Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team (UPSET), and Michigan State Police Emergency Services Team assisted the FBI with this case.