California man charged in threat to blow up Michigan mosque

Dearborn, MI, United States (NewsBahn) – A 63-year-old Vietnam veteran has been charged with threatening to blow up one of America’s largest mosques.

Roger Stockham, of Imperial Beach, CA, was arrested Jan. 24 in the parking lot of the Islamic Center of America. Police found a large quantify of class-C fireworks, including M-80s, in the trunk of his car.

He has been charged with one count of a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of explosives-possession of bombs with unlawful intent.

If convicted, Stockham could face 15 years in prison on the fireworks charge and up to 20 years on the terrorism charge.

He was arraigned Wednesday and is being held on $500,000 bond.

According to local reports, a bartender in a Detroit bar overheard Stockham threaten to damage a mosque in Dearborn. The bartender followed the suspect outside and copied down his license plate number. He then called Detroit police who called police in Dearborn.

Detroit police then sent out an alert. Stockham was arrested in the mosque’s parking lot. About 500 people were inside at the time.

FBI special agent Sandra Berchtold confirmed the arrest on Sunday. She said the bureau had delayed making a statement about the arrest until they could determine if Stockham was acting with other persons.

Authorities now believe he was acting alone.

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said announcement of the arrest was delayed out of fear of copycat incidents.

In a posting on the website of Post 5477 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Imperial Beach, Stockham described himself as having been raised in Palos Verdes. He went to Viet Nam in 1968, where he was based in Pleiku. “Gave the arny [sic] 7 years then spent a couple of years flying as a commercial bush pilot in Indonesia, two beautiful kids, one granddaughter,” he wrote.

The 70,000-square-foot mosque was built in 1963. It has 10-story minarets and a 150-foot dome.

---