Signage is seen at the United States Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

A federal grand jury has indicted a man from Pickford, Michigan, who allegedly threatened to commit a mass shooting and live stream it on social media, the US Justice Department announced on Wednesday.

Starting on June 1, 19-year-old Seann Pietila began exchanging messages with an Instagram user named “_this_aint_me_88,” complaining that he lacked skill in attracting women, according to federal court documents. Soon, his messages became darker, citing the Jewish people as the source of his misfortune.

According to a report by an FBI agent, the bureau received on June 13 notice of Pietila’s plans to “commit a mass casualty incident” and determined after reviewing his messages that he had “communicated neo-Nazi style ideology, antisemitism, suicidal ideologies, glorification of past mass shooters…and his intent to mimic past mass shooters.”

The bureau also found a social media account where Pietila allegedly posted “Nazi imagery” and photographs of other men who had committed mass casualties, including Anders Behring Breivik, who murdered 70 people attending a youth camp with a car bomb.

“I won’t be taken alive I’ll make sure of that,” Pietila wrote. “Remember ‘Heil Hitler!’…I just need a camera for streaming and some more magazines. Don’t wanna run out of mags and have to reload one.”

Pietila added that he would stream the attack on Discord, a social media site noted for being a virtual meeting ground for web-based neo-Nazis. “F****** k**** ruin everything they touch,” he continued, using a derogatory word for Jews. “I’d probably do it on discord for people [sic], so they could screen record and send it to others or post online.”

On June 14, FBI agents conducted a search of his home and found guns, knives, military style camouflage clothing, and a Nazi flag. In his iPhone, they found a note — dated March 15, 2024 — with the address of a synagogue in East Lansing, Michigan, a city roughly 270 miles south of Pickford.

Below the name of synagogue was a text saying “Me and Limey,” whom agents later discovered is the owner of “the _this_aint_me_88” Instagram account, and a list of “equipment” that included “hand-made pipe bombs,” “12 gauge shotgun…and two back up Glock 18’s AND [sic] a Akm full auto conversion.”

Pietila faces three federal charges, two for interstate threatening communication and one for threatening to kill or injure by means of fire.

“No one should face violent threats because of their race, ethnicity, religion, or any other status,” US Attorney Mark Totten said in a press release. “We have seen a rise in antisemitism across the nation and here in Michigan, and my office is committed to using all our powers to protect the public and ensure accountability.”

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.