A San Diego County man is facing state and federal charges for allegedly mailing a letter to a Temecula mosque that authorities said threatened a mass shooting.
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Warner Springs resident Louis White, 60, was arrested last week by Riverside County deputies. According to one court filing, a search of his home allegedly turned up several guns, including assault weapons, and thousands of bullets.
According to a federal warrant affidavit, the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley received a letter that contained “threats of perpetrating a mass killing of Muslims.” A mosque official reported the letter to Riverside sheriff’s deputies around Aug. 26. The letter writer, according to court documents, stated in all capital letters that they “cannot wait for the day to kill every one of you. It cannot come soon enough.” The note also included a drawing that featured a crosshair.
White’s fingerprint was found on the back of the letter, court filings allege.
White has several firearms registered to him, according to the federal affidavit, and a search of his home turned up 15 firearms, including what is believed to be a short-barreled AR-15 style rifle without a serial number on it — a suspected ghost gun. It was loaded, the affidavit asserts.
White was arraigned Wednesday in Riverside Superior Court on felony charges accusing him of making a threat and possessing assault weapons. He remained held in a Murrieta jail Friday in lieu of $70,000 bail.
Additionally, federal prosecutors in California’s Central District filed a charge Thursday accusing White of mailing threatening communications, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Prosecutors also filed a request to keep him in custody while the case is pending.
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Allegations of a threat to a mosque in the region come less than four months after authorities say two teenage gunmen stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego and fatally shot three congregants on May 18 while livestreaming their attack. The gunmen were soon found dead at their own hand. But earlier this week, authorities charged a teen girl in North Carolina with murder and conspiracy, alleging she recorded the livestream and disseminated it and the shooters’ manifesto as part of an agreement. She has pleaded not guilty.
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In a statement Friday, the executive director of the Greater Los Angeles Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the threats to the Temecula site “deeply disturbing.”
“We have seen an alarming increase in the number of violent threats targeting mosques, Islamic centers, and the American Muslim community as a whole across the country—and, unfortunately, Southern California has not been immune to this vile hate,” Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said.
White has not been arraigned in the federal matter. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles says White is expected to be transferred into federal custody in the coming weeks.
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White is due back in a Riverside County courtroom Oct. 16.