BUXTON, Maine — UPDATE:
Following an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Brian Dennison was returned to Cumberland County Jail pending a probable cause hearing scheduled for Thursday morning.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A Buxton man was arrested Sunday after federal agents say he threatened on Twitter to "kill Jews with my AR-15."
Brian Dennison, 24, was scheduled to appear by videoconference in U.S. District Court in Portland to face one charge of transmitting threatening interstate communication.
Using the Twitter handle @Ma1lus, Dennison posted on Sept. 8, "I'm going to kill jews with my ar15 tomorrow," prosecutors say. According to court documents, they believe he was also building a pipe bomb.
During an interview that day at their Buxton home, Dennison's parents reportedly told agents that their son, who lives in a garage apartment on their Fogg Road property, owned "a few pistols and rifles, including an AR-15 style rifle."
Duquette's parents "told us that Brian had been obsessed with Jews for about three years and that he believed Jews were responsible for all of his problems," FBI agent and U.S. Border Patrol agent Jonathan Duquette wrote in a Sept. 9 affidavit.
Later on Sept 8, his mother told agents that Dennison gave his parents three handguns, but not an AR-15 rifle, Duquette wrote. Agents also seized "large amounts" of ammunition from his garage apartment.
Dennison was due to appear by videoconference in U.S. District Court in Portland at 9:30 Tuesday.
This story will be updated.
