WOODLAND, CA - On September 14, police arrested Abdul Khalid, 23, after he reportedly threatened to shoot up a local mosque and “kill everyone inside.”
He made the threat on Facebook messenger, stating he had a gun and plenty of ammunition to get the job done.
This is not the first time Khalid has run afoul of the law, nor the first time he has threatened to kill members of the Woodland Muslim Mosque and Islamic Center.
Khalid has physically attacked people inside the mosque, and was placed on probation four years ago for bringing a knife inside and threatening to kill several worshippers, according to court documents.
He has been formally arraigned on three counts of felony criminal threats.
At the time of his arrest, he was originally charged with a hate crime, but that charge has since been dropped.
In a statement, Yolo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven said:
Currently, Mr. Khalid is not charged with a hate crime or hate crime enhancement. To file a hate crime, we must believe that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a substantial motivating factor in the crime was a bias against a particular religion. It’s always possible that further investigation could change things.
Khalid has since been released on bond.
*Khalid came to this country from Pakistan. That fact, as well as many other details about this case has been buried by all local mainstream media outlets. It should also be noted that the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, the Woodland Police Department refused requests by phone to comment on this case.
