Justin Olsen, 18, faces a charge of threatening to assault a federal law enforcement officer. Authorities arrested him on Aug. 7 on state charges and he was taken to the Mahoning County Jail. He has been in custody ever since
Olsen used the handle “ArmyOfChrist” as his moniker on iFunny, a website where people can posts memes, photos and statements on a variety of topics. There, he told fellow users that he supported mass shootings and attacks on Planned Parenthood, according to an affidavit written by FBI agent Themistocles Tsarnas.
The threats included a June 2 discussion about the Branch Dividians in Waco, Texas, officials say.
Tsarnas’ affidavit says FBI agents in Alaska began investigating “ArmyOfChrist” because of postings that supported violence. By March, the FBI noticed that about 4,400 people subscribed to his account, which showed a large increase over the previous month.
Olsen also posted statements such as “don’t comply with gun laws, stock up on stuff they could ban. In fact, go out of your way to break these laws, they’re f-----g stupid,” the affidavit says. He also wrote “Hell, even the Oklahoma City bombing shows that armed resistance is a viable method of political change. There is no legal solution,” according to the affidavit.
When officers went to Olsen’s father’s house on Aug. 7, they saw about 300 rounds of ammunition on the stairway leading to the second floor. They entered the home for a safety sweep, seeing a computer and iPad in Olsen’s room. In another bedroom, they found rifle cases, thousands of rounds of ammunition, camouflage clothing and camouflaged backpacks, along with a large gun vault, the affidavit states.
Inside the vault were AR-15-style rifles and shotguns.
In all, the search of the house resulted in the seizure of 15 rifles, some of which were assault-style, as well as 10 semi-automatic pistols and an estimated 10,000 rounds of ammunition, according to the affidavit. Authorities also found a machete in the trunk of Olsen’s car.