After threatening attendants of a Jewish preschool and seeking to purchase weapons, a Muslim Dearborn man has been sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for illegal possession of firearms inside a gun store, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Wednesday.

Hassan Chokr, 38, pleaded guilty on May 28 to illegal possession of multiple firearms, after initially being charged in 2022 with ethnic intimidation and lying on federal firearms forms to conceal his status as a convicted felon.

The case dates back to December 2, 2022, when Chokr drove through the parking lot of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, harassing Jewish parents as they walked their preschool children. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, he shouted antisemitic profanities, denounced their support for Israel, and threatened that they would “pay.” The Detroit Free Press reported that he went further, telling congregants they were “going to die.”

After being asked to leave the synagogue grounds, Chokr entered a firearms store where he “possessed” a Landor Arms 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, a Del-Ton 5.56mm rifle, and a Glock 9mm pistol—handling the weapons with his finger on the trigger. He had filled out federal firearms forms falsely claiming no felony charges were pending against him, despite a prior 2017 conviction for financial transaction device theft and an outstanding state charge for assault with a dangerous weapon.

While awaiting his background check, prosecutors said Chokr made chilling statements about using the guns to “even the score” and carry out “God’s wrath.” The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) ultimately denied the purchases, but he was arrested and charged with ethnic intimidation two days later.

“Chokr’s sickening antisemitic threats and his apparent attempt to make good on them with guns are part of an alarming pattern of violence against believers,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in a statement. “We will do everything in our power to fight against this hatred and to protect the American family and their right to worship God without fear.”

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald added at the time: “Antisemitic and racist threats or ethnic intimidation of any kind will not be tolerated in our community, and every such incident will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

In the photo below, you can see a darkened mark in the middle of his forehead — very likely what Islam refers to as a “zebiba.”

A zebiba is a hardened bruise or callus that forms on the forehead of some Muslims who deliberately drive their heads into the ground during prayer. It is not required in Islamic ritual, but many who cultivate it wear it as a visible badge of piety — a public signal of their devotion to Islamic scripture.

As it is not a prescribed activity during prayer to bang one’s head that hard, it tends to be a good indicator of a Muslim whose devotion to Islamic scripture is serious and personal, and wishes everyone to know it by the presence of the bruise.

One might also say it could be a tell for someone intending to carry out the ‘will of Allah’ in the form of jihad.

Both images of Chokr are from Breanna Morello’s Twitter feed.

During sentencing on September 24, Hassan Chokr, 38, of Dearborn, Michigan, showed no remorse. He flipped off the judge, called her a “Zionist bitch” and a “Jewish bitch,” and shouted that “the system is bullshit” and had robbed him of free speech.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Chokr had already established a pattern of courtroom outbursts. In a Zoom hearing for his prior assault charges, held four days after the synagogue incident, he removed his pants and mooned the judge. The day before, at his arraignment on two counts of ethnic intimidation, he was similarly abusive—calling a magistrate a “Jewish” and “Zionist bitch”.

Hassan has been sentenced to 34 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release.