Phoenix Man Charged After Prosecutors Allege Plot to Attack House of Worship

A Phoenix man accused of plotting a mass-casualty attack on a Jewish or Muslim house of worship appeared in Maricopa County court Friday, where a judge set his bond at $100,000 over prosecutors’ objections.

Matthew Bjornholt, 27, faces a felony charge of making a terrorist threat. Maricopa County prosecutor Stephen Garcia asked the court for a $500,000 cash bond, arguing Bjornholt posed an imminent danger to the community, according to FOX 10.

Garcia told the court Bjornholt had laid out a detailed plan to attack a religious site that involved guns and explosives, with an accomplice assigned to shoot survivors after bombs went off. Prosecutors said Bjornholt kept a copy of “The Anarchist Cookbook,” a bomb-making manual tied to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and allegedly called the book his “Bible.”

Investigators seized three guns and ammunition from Bjornholt’s home.

Defense disputes the claims

Bjornholt’s attorney, Chad Schell, told the court the allegations rest on unverified hearsay from a former acquaintance he described as a “homeless alcoholic” who had briefly stayed on Bjornholt’s couch before being told to leave late last month.

Schell said the FBI had already looked into the claims weeks earlier, executing a search warrant at Bjornholt’s home on Sept. 29. He said Bjornholt voluntarily handed over his electronic devices and passwords, and that federal investigators found no evidence of terrorism or bomb-making materials. According to Schell, the FBI did not pursue charges, and county authorities took up the case roughly two weeks later.

“There is no evidence he’s a danger to the community. What is the evidence that he’s a danger to the community? Some hearsay statements from some dude — that my client kicked out of his house two days before September 29,” Schell told the court.

“Again, the FBI served a search warrant, got all of his electronic devices. He gave them access, gave him his passwords to those devices. They went through all of those electronic devices. They didn’t see anything about terrorism. And FBI cut him loose,” he said.

Schell also argued the three firearms were legally owned, noting that Bjornholt’s civil rights had been restored after he completed a sentence on a drug charge connected to a since-dropped first-degree murder case. Schell said that murder charge was dismissed for lack of evidence, and that the ammunition recovered from the home amounted to standard magazine loads.

Judge cites weak evidence but allows case to proceed

Despite prosecutors pointing to Bjornholt’s criminal history to justify a higher bond, the judge noted the state’s preliminary evidence leaned heavily on hearsay and set bond at $100,000. The judge still found enough probable cause for the case to move forward.

It is not yet clear whether a specific house of worship was targeted or whether a specific accomplice has been identified. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and the FBI’s Phoenix field office for comment.

Bjornholt is due back in court Oct. 22 for a status conference, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 26.