A man in Alaska has been charged with making violent threats against Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.
James Lawhorn, 54, of Wasilla, Alaska, is accused by federal prosecutors of sending more than 20 threatening messages on Facebook and by phone to a city account and other Facebook accounts “that contained threats to injure and murder the mayor of a city in Michigan,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska said this week on Aug. 10 in a news release. A grand jury indicted Lawhorn last month, on July 22, charging him with seven counts of making threats in interstate commerce and one count of stalking.
“The messages contained violent rhetoric and threats of assassination, including via hanging and firing squad,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
That and other threats were made between Sept. 18 and 23.
The statement from prosecutors and the indictment did not mention Hammoud and the city of Dearborn, only saying that a Michigan mayor was threatened. A court filing setting the conditions for Lawhorn’s release describes the victim as “A.H.,” which are the initials for Abdullah Hammoud. Also, one of the messages described in the indictment matches the wording of a message about Hammoud received by the administrator for a Facebook page, Dearborn Area Community Members, run by attorney Majed Moughni. Moughni confirmed he received the threatening message from Lawhorn on Sept. 21. Moughni then alerted Hammoud and filed a police report. The indictment mentions “X Area Community Members” as one of the Facebook accounts that received a threatening message, with the “X” apparently referring to Dearborn.
The messages contained derogatory remarks about Muslims and Dearborn, which has a high percentage of Muslim residents. The indictment indicates that Lawhorn sent the message shortly after a controversy erupted over Hammoud’s response to a resident who had objected to the placing of street signs in Dearborn by Wayne County honoring an Arab American leader, telling him that he’s not welcome in the city. Hammoud later clarified his remarks to say that the city of Dearborn welcomes all people.
Lawhorn’s message to Dearborn Area Community Members read: “The mayor wants to tell one of our American citizens to leave. Well, now we are telling that (expletive) scum Muslim to leave. No Muslim is an American citizen and never will be – you are all terrorist and shall be treated as do. Either by hanging or firing squad. … Be very worried every time you turn that car key on your home locks or just being in public. You now have a target on your back. … Your done you (expletive) terrorist scum. Make sure the mayor reads this. So he knows what’s coming. Hire lots more Muslim security your going to need them terrorist.”
Lawhorn’s attorney, Gretchen Staft, a public defender, could not be reached for comment. A message sent to another official in her department was not immediately returned.
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the charges, saying they are part of a growing number of anti-Muslim incidents across the U.S. Hammoud and other public officials who are Muslim have been receiving hateful messages for years.
The indictment comes as Dearborn prepares for a protest set for Tuesday during a city council meeting by a right-wing agitator, Jake Lang, who has already protested in metro Detroit four times since November, making bigoted remarks against Muslims, immigrants and minorities. He tried to burn a Quran in Dearborn in November and then burned the holy book in May in front of a large Dearborn mosque. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently arrested and detained a Detroit man accused by police of slugging Lang in Dearborn after he made inflammatory remarks during an Islamic procession.
Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin is urging the public and counter-protesters not to attend or respond to Lang’s provocations.
Staff Writer Darcie Moran contributed to this report.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Feds charge Alaska man with threatening Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud
Reporting by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
