Trump-supporting bomb maker who threatened to kill Muslims to serve 90 days in prison
William Celli used Facebook to post Islamophobic comments and a picture of a bomb
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Your support makes all the difference.A Donald Trump supporter who was caught with an explosive device and threatened to kill Muslims has been sentenced to just 90 days in jail and ordered to attend anger management classes.
William Celli was reported to police after posting a picture of a homemade pipe bomb on social media.
On the same day, the 55-year-old was also reported for shouting abuse, including the phrase “I’m going to kill you all”, at the Islamic Society of West Contra Costa County, California.
Despite complaints to the authorities regarding both incidents, it was around two weeks before Celli was arrested and his Richmond, California house searched, the Guardian reported.
During the search an explosive device was found, leading to the evacuation of the surrounding area.
The device was later detonated in a controlled explosion by the bomb squad.
As part of a plea bargain, Celli admitted attempting to violate the free exercise of civil rights, KRON4 reported.
Charges related to making criminal threats and hate crime were dropped.
In addition to the jail time and anger management classes, Celli will be on probation for three years and is forbidden from having an active Facebook page for an unspecified period of time, the Richmond Standard reported.
He had used the social media platform to express support for Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, calling him a “great point man”.
Mr Trump has advocated banning Muslims from entering the US.
Celli has a history of making controversial comments on social media.
In one Facebook post, he lamented that the US is being “invaded” by tens of thousands of “illegals”, causing him to lose work.
He also posted comments saying Muslims in the US should be “repatriated”.
In another post he expressed fear over Muslim immigration, and said: “Kiss your Christian asses good bye. And all other non believers of the Koran.”
In response to the sentencing, Zahra Billoo of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said: “We welcome the jail time handed out in this case and are appreciative of the cooperation and support from law enforcement and the district attorney’s office shown to the local Muslim community.
“At a time when attacks on mosques and Muslim individuals are at an all-time high, this will send a message that such actions will have consequences.”
The Islamic Society of West Contra Costa County has increased its security measures and hired more guards.
There was a significant increase in Islamophobic incidents in the US following the Paris and San Bernardino attacks.
American Muslims are bracing for a further wave of discrimination following the Brussels bombings.
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