Man arrested in Kannapolis, N.C. with van full of guns and explosives, allegedly researched killing Joe Biden

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (WBTV) – A man was arrested in Kannapolis with a van full of guns and explosives with plans to carry out an act of terrorism, including trying to assassinate Joe Biden.

An order filed in federal court earlier this month outlines the plans by a man identified as Alexander Hillel Treisman, who also used the alias Alexander S. Theiss. Treisman is originally from the state of Washington, Kannapolis Police have said.

DOCUMENT: Read the court order

In the order, a federal magistrate judge outlined the reasons why Treisman should continue to be held in jail on child pornography charges.

Although, Treisman currently faces pornography charges, the order details a list of factors related to the defendant’s plans for a possible act of terror as grounds he should remain in custody.

According to the order, Treisman was arrested in late May, after employees at a bank in Kannapolis called police to investigate a white van that had been left in the parking lot.

“Through the windows, KPD officers observed an AR-15 style rifle, a box for a Taurus .380 handgun, a cannister of the explosive material Tannerite, and a box of 5.56 caliber ammunition,” the order said, referencing testimony from a FBI agent who investigated the case as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

An order filed in federal court earlier this month outlines the plans by a man identified as... — An order filed in federal court earlier this month outlines the plans by a man identified as Alexander Hillel Treisman, who also used the alias Alexander S. Theiss.(Kannapolis Police Department)

The order said a search of the van found “approximately $509,000 of U.S. currency (believed to be Defendant’s inheritance), books (about survival, bomb-making, improved weapons and Islam), drawing of swastikas and planes crashing into buildings” and five more guns.

When Treisman was arrested, the order said, officers found drivers licenses from three different states. The order said agents also discovered he had purchased the various weapons in states across the country, including Washington, Kansas, New Hampshire and West Virginia.

The order said agents found child pornography on eight different electronic devices, along with other pictures and posts related to plans and ideas for possible terrorist acts, including the following:

A note created on October 15, 2019, found in Defendant’s Samsung S9 cell phone describing a plan to perform a mass shooting at a mall food court on Christmas or Black Friday;
Still images from video footage of the Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shooting that Defendant downloaded on March 21, 2020 and related internet searches;
A screenshot of the February 18, 2020 Reddit post by username AlextheBodacious referencing pedophilia and executing those he hates;
An internet post made by Defendant on February 22, 2020 referencing raping children and posting child porn;
An audio recording made on or about April 3, 2020 of Defendant narrating “the perfect porn video,” which describes Defendant killing two parents with a shotgun and then raping and impregnating their young daughter;
An April 8, 2020 internet post by AlextheBodacious stating that he was “going to do a columbine for a while, [but] I think it would better to put it towards something more memorable”;
An iFunny meme posted by Defendant on April 15, 2020 with the caption “should I kill joe biden?”;
A timeline of internet searches conducted by Defendant between March and May 2020 seeking information about Joe Biden’s home address, state gun laws, rifle parts, and night vision goggles, along with actions taken by Defendant, including posting the above mentioned meme about killing Joe Biden, purchasing an AR-15 in New Hampshire, traveling to a Wendy’s within 4 miles of Joe Biden’s home, and writing a checklist note ending with “execute”;
An April 20, 2020 video taken by Defendant’s cell phone while driving by Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas with audio of a male voice saying “There it is. That’s it. That’s the one, that’s where they did it. Allah Akbar! Ah hah, nice.”;
A video created on April 23, 2020 with Defendant’s cell phone at O’Hare International Airport with audio of a male voice suggesting that it would be “awesome” to hijack a plane and fly it into a building;
Images taken on or around April 26, 2020 at Range 56 shooting range at the Fort Bragg training area in North Carolina;
A description of and images from an electronic document entitled “A Guide to Mass Shooting” found on one of Defendant’s hard drives;
Drawings found in Defendant’s jail cell in August 2020 showing a stick figure labeled “me” beating a stick figure labeled “whoever the f*** calls the cops on a parked car” with a bat;
A handwritten “Autobiography” found in Defendant’s jail cell referencing mass shootings;
An image found on one of Defendant’s hard drives of a Polish passport that had been edited to bear Defendant’s face instead of the face of the original holder;
Images of Defendant’s current passport and a notation inside indicating that it is a replacement for a lost passport;
Audio from a May 29, 2020 jail call between Defendant and his mother,Kimberly Treisman, in which she suggests that Defendant should “jump bail”

The order said agents also found a picture of a rental agreement for an apartment in Canada and emails from Treisman to a Canadian immigration lawyer about moving to the country.

According to the order, a lawyer for Treisman asked an agent if he was aware that Treisman had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. The court filing said agents asked Treisman if he had any mental health conditions and they were told he did not.

Given the evidence discovered by agents during their investigation, the judge ruled, the “that no combination of available release conditions would reasonably assure the safety of the community, and that a preponderance of evidence establishes that no conditions would ensure Defendant’s presence in court.”

Treisman has not been charged with any crime related to his possession of the guns or other evidence the agents found.

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A spokeswoman for the FBI referred questions about this investigation to the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.

The Kannapolis Police Department provided a statement regarding the situation Thursday evening.

“Officers from the Kannapolis Police Department responded to a business regarding a suspicious vehicle in their parking lot. Upon arrival, officers observed weapons inside a van which was left unlocked and unoccupied. Further investigation uncovered several indicators that criminal activity was afoot. Federal agents were contacted and while awaiting their arrival the suspect returned to the business. Kannapolis officers detained the suspect and subsequently arrested him for carrying a concealed weapon. The suspect was turned over to federal authorities pending further investigation. I am proud of our officers for their due diligence and quick actions that allowed us to prevent an incident from happening,” Terry Spry, Kannapolis Chief of Police, said.