Muslim Planned to Shoot Up Church Because the People Would Be Unarmed

A Muslim man in Detroit, Michigan, who was arrested recently on federal firearms and illegal drug possession charges was planning to shoot up a church because he believed the people would be unarmed. Khalil Abu-Rayyan was arrested last week, but he has been under investigation by the FBI since May. Court records quote him as saying, “I tried to shoot up a church one day. I don’t know the name of it, but it’s close to my job. It’s one of the biggest ones in Detroit. ... A lot of people go there. Plus people are not allowed to carry guns in church. (If I) can’t go do jihad at the Middle East, I would do my jihad over here” (“Feds: Dearborn Heights man supports ISIS,” The Detroit News, Feb. 6, 2016). He said, “... it is my dream to behead someone.” Abu-Rayyan has used Twitter to promote ISIS propaganda since 2014, including the posting of videos of ISIS atrocities such as the burning of a Jordanian pilot.

(Friday Church News Notes, February 12, 2016, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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