FBI arrests Winter Park man in connection with mass shooting threat … – FSView & Florida Flambeau
On Jan. 3, 2022, the FBI arrested a 19-year-old Winter Park man for threatening to kill gay people at Florida State University. Sean Michael Albert, who is currently being held in federal detention in Orlando, admitted to federal agents that he posted a photo of a semi-automatic rifle with threats to commit a mass shooting at FSU. Albert was arrested on a federal charge of making an interstate communication to threaten to injure another person.
The post, which reads “600 W College Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306, At 13:00 December 17, 2022 100 F- Will Dye, Cya there,” was connected to Albert via IP address, as well as user information from his Discord account, where the threat was made. In addition to this threat, the post featured a photo of a semi-automatic rifle, which Albert told FBI agents he found on Reddit.
The FSU Police Department heightened security on campus after being contacted by the FBI on Dec. 16, despite the threats being made after the end of the semester, when residence halls were closed and campus operations were limited. In a statement, FSU PD explained that “police patrols were increased on and near the campus by the FSU and Tallahassee police departments in an abundance of caution.”
Albert was approached by FBI agents at Orlando International Airport on Jan. 1, where he was arriving from a flight. After he agreed to an interview, the agents learned that Albert flew to Washington, D.C. on Dec. 16, and returned to Orlando on New Year’s Day. According to the criminal complaint, when asked by agents why Albert thought he was being interviewed, he said that it was probably because “[he] made a post online that may be perceived as a mass shooting threat.”
The complaint further reads that Albert “did not believe his post was illegal, stating that the post was meant to be ‘ironic,’ ‘satirical,’ and ‘a joke.’” In addition, the Discord server Albert allegedly posted the threat to consisted of “extreme controversial ideology and potentially other illegal content.”
Albert, who was a student at Full Sail University in Winter Park, says he picked the FSU address because “it would get the most reaction,” according to federal court records.
The investigation further revealed that Albert had previously been interviewed by the FBI in 2021, though the details of this interview are unknown. Albert also made statements in the past against gay, Black and Jewish people, including one that reads “Tear gas a synagogue.”
In federal court on Jan. 4, Albert’s public defense attorney argued that he could undergo mental health treatment in Maryland and live with his grandmother, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Embry Kidd ordered him to stay in custody until trial, stating that he presented a danger to the community. In this session, prosecutors claimed that Albert was removed from the Air Force after making comments about mass shootings. Albert was not found to have competency issues.
In a statement released Jan. 4, the Pride Student Union at FSU noted that it “condemns any form of hate speech and discrimination, especially violence that is motivated and rooted in prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community,” and urged students affected by these events to seek help from on campus resources including the Pride Student Union, Counseling and Psychological Services and Case Management.
As of Jan. 6, no official statement has been released by FSU officials.To report any suspicious behavior, including anti-LGBTQ+ incidents, please use FSU’s reporting system, report.fsu.edu.