Lawyer Compares Suspect in Terror Case to Donald Trump

DETROIT, MI — The lawyer for an American Muslim accused of buying grenades from an undercover FBI counterterrorism agent after talking about an attack compared his client to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in a federal detention hearing Thursday, according to media reports.

Sebastian Gregerson — who is charged in U.S. District Court with possessing a destructive device and receiving explosive materials without a proper license — made offensive, “highly inappropriate” and politically incorrect statements, but is not a criminal, defense attorney David Tholen said.

“Donald Trump does all those things, and yet he’s running for president,” Tholen argued, noting that Gregerson, a 29-year-old married father of twin 4-year-old boys, is a longtime gun enthusiast, survivalist and outdoorsman who is interested in military history.

“Politically incorrect statements are not a crime,” the attorney said, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Gregerson, of Detroit, was arrested Sunday after a 16-month undercover investigation that began when authorities got a tip that he had a cache of grenades and bazookas.

According to court records, Gregerson allegedly stockpiled an arsenal of weapons that included AK-47s, thousands of rounds of ammunition, machetes, hatchets and tactical gear, such as commercial-grade road spikes. He also allegedly expressed interest in acquiring Claymore mines, which he called “magical pieces of equipment” because they contain C-4 explosives and hundreds of steel balls that reach targets up to 110 yards away.

Tholen said Gregerson had legally purchased the weapons.

• Detroit Man Bought Explosives from FBI Agent, Spoke of Attack: Feds

Neither Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathleen Corken nor U.S. Magistrate Judge Mona Majzoub disagreed, but both dismissed the notion that Gregerson is merely a hobbyist.

“Who collects grenades?” Corken asked.“These are preparations for some violent acts.”

Majzoub determined Gregerson was a danger to the community and ordered him held without bond.

“What does one do with these items? What does one do with a grenade?” Majzoub said. “Why does anybody want to purchase a Claymore mine, which is only used to cause death and destruction?

“When I look at the totality of the case, I cannot escape the conclusion that the defendant poses a danger to the community. I'm going to order detention.”

Tholen argued that the government had overstated its case against Gregerson, of Detroit, who works at Target and is studying criminal justice at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn. He converted to Islam after he graduated from high school in the Ann Arbor area, according to court testimony, and also goes by the name of Abdurrahman Bin Mikaayl.

The Detroit News said a now-disabled Facebook account belonging to a user with the same name as Gregerson’s alias listed a Dearborn address and included an image of a man riding a horse and carrying an Islamic flag.

The government stopped short of calling Gregerson a terrorist, and he is not charged with a terror-related crime.

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