(TALLAHASSEE, FLA) — A Winter Park man was arrested by the FBI for allegedly threatening a mass shooting against LGBTQ+ people at Florida State University.
Sean Michael Albert, 19, was taken into custody Tuesday and waived his preliminary hearing. He faces a federal charge of making an interstate communication to threaten to injure another person, according to court filings.
On Dec. 16, the FBI in Orlando received a notice of a threat made on Discord, a social media platform notably used by gamers. The suspect with the username “BloodStainedSane#0088” reportedly posted a picture of an “AR-15 style” rifle on Dec. 13 with a caption that included a slur against LQBTQ+ people, the address of FSU, and an upcoming date and time.
“600 W College Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306,” the caption read. “At 13:00 December 17, 2022, 100 (censored) Will Die, Cya there!”
Discord provided the FBI with the Internet Protocol (IP) address information, tracing the post to Albert, who attended Full Sail University and had flown to Washington, D.C. on Dec. 16, according to sources.
He was confronted by FBI agents at the Orlando International airport and agreed to an interview.
“During the interview, Albert was asked why he thought he was being interviewed,” the criminal complaint read. “After providing three possibilities of why the FBI would want to speak with him (none of which involved illegal activity), Albert responded that it was probably because ‘(he) made a post online that may be perceived as a mass shooting threat.’ ”
Albert told officials he didn’t “believe his post was illegal,” stating that it was intentionally “ironic, satirical, and a joke,” according to the complaint.
“When asked why he picked that address to include in the threat, Albert stated the reason was because it would be the most reaction from those on the Discord server,” the complaint read.
FBI interviews with Albert’s apartment manager and roommate revealed he had a “history of violence and a pattern of concerning behavior.”
The suspect was reportedly interviewed before by the FBI in April 2021, but no details were given, the complaint stated.