A Donald Trump supporter has been arrested and charged with a hate crime following a police investigation into threats of a mass shooting at a mosque.
The man has been identified as 40-year-old Mark Lucian Feigin. He is alleged to have made the threats on September 19 and September 20 by calling the Islamic Center of Southern California. Local authorities have traced the phone calls, which led them to the man’s apartment and found nine firearms, together with a large quantity of ammunition. Information from the Los Angeles Police Department shows that the suspect has been released on $77,500 bail.
Omar Ricci, a spokesman for the mosque, told the media that the large amount of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition made him think of how the Columbine High School shooting was carried out. He went on to add that as a result of the recent threatening phone calls, security measures have been taken at the Islamic Center.
A simple look at Feigin’s Twitter account allows anyone to see what his political convictions are. Several messages show him supporting and praising Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The fact that he supports Trump’s policies isn’t the most shocking thing to see on his Twitter. Tirades against immigrants, racist messages, Islamophobic ideas and fantasies of violence are all there as well. Even though his Twitter page is no longer accessible, several media sources have captured the content on his public feed.
His violent intentions are perhaps the most worrying, considering the numerous weapons found at his residence. He talks about stockpiling guns and ammunition for a coming civil war if Hillary Clinton is elected instead of Trump in two Tweets posted on October 12 and October 19. This isn’t the first time he was willing to share his violent fantasis with the world. On October 11, Feigin appeared very angry over a news article talking about dog shelters euthanizing the animals of owners who failed to pay fines. He said that if this happened to his dog, he would have gone on a shooting spree at the shelter, with the intention of “blowing away” every city employee he found.
Public records show Feigin is expected to appear in court on November 10 for an arraignment hearing. No information is available as to whether he has retained his own lawyer. His occupation is also unclear. He stated being a “social worker” on his Twitter profile, although a profile for Feigin on LinkedIn shows him working as a realtor. This seems to match a page for him on Realtor.com, a website for real estate professionals around the nation. He is described as having over 15 years of combined experience in various related occupations, working for a firm called Gotham Properties and having five “for sale” listings.