A 32-year-old Virginia white supremacist faces terrorism charges after threatening to carry out a Christchurch-style mass shooting at a Dearborn, Michigan mosque with an AR-15 rifle, marking the latest in a surge of anti-Muslim violence that has reached record levels nationwide.
Macin Horstemeyer of Lynchburg was arrested on September 22 following a months-long investigation that began when Google flagged his YouTube comments containing violent threats against Muslims and Black Americans to the FBI. He remains held without bond at Blue Ridge Regional Jail on charges including soliciting terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and making public threats.
Digital Trail Reveals Months of Escalating Threats
Federal investigators discovered Horstemeyer’s online activities started in February 2025 when he used YouTube comments to want to duplicate the 2015 church massacre committed by Dylann Roof, who killed nine Black worshipers, threaten Black citizens and Muslims while praising mass shooter Dylann Roof. The authorities believe Horstemeyerers at the Charleston church.
Horstemeyer revealed to police during his recent interviews that he planned to attack a Dearborn mosque with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, according to court records. Horstemeyer expressed anger after watching Middle Eastern terrorist group videos, yet he insisted his threatening statements remained confined to his thoughts.
Michigan’s Muslim Community Under Siege
The Horstemeyer case stands as one of several threats that simultaneously endanger Muslims in Michigan, who make up one of the biggest Muslim and Arab American communities in the United States. The FBI and Dearborn Heights police department operate independently to investigate threats made against the Islamic Institute of America, where callers threatened to destroy the building and made bomb threats.
Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmed Haider stated to TCD News that the department takes all threats seriously while working with the FBI to protect community members. The mosque remains under constant police protection, with multiple units providing continuous surveillance during worship services.
Record-Breaking Anti-Muslim Violence Grips Nation
The United States faces its most severe anti-Muslim discrimination in history when Horstemeyer receives terrorism charges. The Council on American-Islamic Relations documented 8,658 anti-Muslim incidents in 2024, which became the highest number since their 1996 tracking started and exceeded the 2023 statistics by 7.4%.
White supremacist violence shows no signs of slowing down as Dawud Walid from CAIR Michigan emphasizes the need for ongoing monitoring and enforcement of terrorism charges. The FBI released statistics in August 2025 showing that hate crimes reached 11,679 cases across the United States during 2024, while religious bias caused 23.5% of all single-bias incidents.