A 35-year-old man planned to massacre children at a Jewish daycare in Michigan after trying to buy assault weapons and hurling antisemitic threats at parents and preschoolers
Federal prosecutors say that Hassan Chokr – who was out on bail for prior charges – drove through the parking lot of Temple Beth El’s daycare in Bloomfield Hills, shouting antisemitic slurs and threats at parents who were dropping off their children.
According to police, Chokr planned to “follow through on his threats against the parents and preschoolers as they walked into a place of worship”
Immediately after his antisemitic rant, Chokr drove to a gun shop in Dearborn, Michigan—home to the country’s highest population of Arab Americans—and tried to buy three semiautomatic weapons: a Del-Ton AR-15-style assault rifle, a Landor Arms automatic shotgun, and a Glock pistol.
The gun store owner overheard Chokr say he planned to use the guns for “God’s wrath.”
Then, a federal background check showed he had prior felonies, so he wasn’t allowed to buy the guns.
Chokr pleaded guilty to federal gun charges for lying on his gun application about his felony record.
He faces up to seven years in prison.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a 200% increase in antisemitic attacks nationwide since the October 7th terror attack in Israel – with 250 incidents in Michigan alone.
