A Seattle man arrested in North Carolina on child pornography charges had a trove of guns in his car and researched plans to “execute” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to a federal court order.
“Should I kill joe biden?” Alexander Hillel Treisman, 19, posted online in April, according to an Oct 6. order filed the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina requesting that Treisman remain jailed over child pornography charges, WBTV first reported Thursday.
Treisman was arrested May 28 after officers from the Kannapolis Police Department in North Carolina responded to reports of an abandoned van outside a Fifth Third Bank. Through the windows of Triesman’s van, officers saw an AR-15 assault weapon, a box for a Taurus .380 handgun, a canister of the explosive material Tannerite and a box of 5.56-caliber ammunition, according to the order.
A search of the vehicle revealed even more weapons: a Sig Sauer AR-style rifle, a 9 mm Luger, a .22-caliber rifle and a bolt-action rifle, the order said. The search also turned up books about bomb making and drawings of swastikas and planes crashing into buildings, the order added.
After officers towed the van, Treisman returned to the Fifth Third Bank in a new vehicle in which police reported finding two more guns. Officers also found three state ID cards, including a Florida driver’s license bearing the name Alexander S. Theiss, with a date of birth that differed from Treisman’s, according to the federal filing.
In an interview with authorities later that day, Treisman admitted he “has an interest in terrorist incidents and mass shootings,” the filing said.
The FBI obtained a warrant to search his cell phone and other electronic devices, on which investigators said they found more than 6,000 images of child pornography. They subsequently charged him.
A further search of his devices revealed that Treisman referenced raping and killing children, committing mass shootings and assassinating Biden, according to law enforcement.
Treisman posted an iFunny meme on April 15 with the caption, “should I kill joe biden?” the order said. That was just the tip of what investigators found to be a credible threat to the presidential nominee.
“A timeline of internet searches conducted by Defendant between March and May 2020 seeking information about Joe Biden’s home address, state gun laws, rifle parts, and night vision googles, along with actions taken by Defendant, including posting the abovementioned meme about killing Joe Biden, purchasing an AR-15 in New Hampshire, traveling to a Wendy’s within 4 miles of Joe Biden’s home, and writing a checklist note ending with ‘execute,’” the order said.
Treisman remains in custody but has so far not been charged with any crimes beyond the child pornography charges, WBTV reported. The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina declined to comment on possible future charges, citing an “ongoing investigation.”