A 27-year-old Chandler, Arizona man is facing felony charges after Maricopa County prosecutors alleged he laid out a detailed plan for a mass-casualty attack on a Jewish or Muslim house of worship, complete with explosives followed by an accomplice tasked with “picking off people” with firearms.
Matthew Bjornholt appeared in Maricopa County Superior Court on October 16–18, 2026, on a charge of making a terrorist threat.
According to FOX 10 Phoenix’s October 16 report, prosecutors alleged that Bjornholt discussed using bombs and firearms to inflict mass casualties at a religious facility.
Even more alarming, prosecutors claimed Bjornholt possessed a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook, an infamous manual containing instructions for constructing explosives that has been associated with Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
Prosecutors alleged Bjornholt referred to the book as his “Bible.”
During Friday’s court appearance, Maricopa County prosecutor Stephen Garcia requested a $500,000 cash bond, arguing that Bjornholt posed an imminent danger to the community.
According to Garcia, the suspect allegedly discussed a coordinated assault in which explosives would be detonated before another individual opened fire on survivors.
The alleged accomplice would begin “picking off people,” prosecutors claimed.
Investigators subsequently seized three firearms and ammunition from Bjornholt’s residence.
Despite the disturbing allegations, Bjornholt’s defense attorney, Chad Schell, strongly disputed the prosecution’s case.
Schell argued that the investigation originated with allegations from a disgruntled former houseguest whom Bjornholt had reportedly kicked out of his residence in September.
According to the defense, federal authorities had already investigated the accusations.
On September 29, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Bjornholt’s residence, where the suspect allegedly voluntarily surrendered his electronic devices and provided investigators with access to his passwords.
Schell claimed the FBI uncovered no evidence of terrorism or bomb-making materials and declined to pursue federal charges.
The defense attorney also maintained that the three firearms recovered from the residence were legally possessed.
As Fox News reported, Schell questioned the state’s evidence, arguing that prosecutors were relying on uncorroborated statements rather than physical evidence establishing an imminent attack.
The judge acknowledged that the preliminary allegations relied heavily on hearsay but nevertheless found probable cause to proceed with the case.
Instead of granting the prosecution’s $500,000 bond request, the judge set bond at $100,000 with mandatory electronic monitoring.
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Bjornholt is scheduled to return to court on October 22 for a status conference, followed by a preliminary hearing on October 26. He has not been convicted of the charged offense.
