Illinois man accused of making threats toward Dearborn Heights mosque
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - An Illinois man is now in custody after allegedly making threats against a Dearborn Heights mosque the day after a deadly church shooting in Michigan.
Kenneth Gehrke, 63, of Elgin, Ill., turned himself in after an investigation involving Michigan, Illinois, and national investigators, including the FBI, led authorities to him.
The backstory:
According to Dearborn Heights, Kenneth Gehrke allegedly threatened violence toward an unnamed mosque on Sept. 29. The exact nature of the threats was not revealed.
Once Gehrke turned himself in, he was transferred to Dearborn Heights to face charges, but has not been charged yet.
"I am pleased this individual has been located, and now remains in custody," said Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmed Haidar. "The arrest is a great example of local, county, state and federal partners working together to address incidents of this type. Special thanks to the Officer in Charge of the case, Sergeant Ahmad Mazloum, along with the Dearborn Heights."
Big picture view:
The threat came just one day after a man crashed his truck into a Grand Blanc Township church, lit the building on fire, and started shooting people.
The FBI later said that the motive of the gunman, who was killed by police, was "believed to be motivated by the assailant's anti-religious beliefs against the Mormon religious community,"
That attack led to heightened concerns about safety at places of worship.
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"As we say in church, watch as well as you pray," said Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington.
The Source: This information is from a Dearborn Heights police press release.