Dan Flanagan, Gabriel Helupka
Alya Fathia Fitri , Elena Alice Rossetti, Editor; Evan Beachler, Senior Editor
February 3, 2024
Justin Mohn[1]
The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) is issuing a FLASH ALERT to government officials, judiciary members, illegal immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, and members and supporters of Black Lives Matter (BLM) following a video posted on YouTube by Justin Mohn. Mohn begins the video by stating that his father "is now in hell for eternity as a traitor to his country."[2] He accused the far-left movements of destroying American cities and President Biden of ignoring the migrant crisis in favor of using America’s military to defend Ukraine from Russia. Mohn introduces himself as the commander of a network of militias that he calls “Mohn’s Militia” and encourages like-minded individuals to kill any federal employees or capture and torture them for information.[3]
CTG is on HIGH alert for the safety of federal employees, illegal immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, and members and supporters of Black Lives Matter (BLM). Mohn’s declaration will LIKELY escalate to violence from anti-government right-wing militias, VERY LIKELY targeting groups he has called for action against. Supporters of Mohn will ALMOST CERTAINLY spread his ideas on social media platforms, VERY LIKELY staging protests in his support. These supporters will VERY LIKELY engage in social media deception, LIKELY attempting to sway more individuals to their cause.
On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Middletown Township Police Department (MTPD) answered a report concerning a deceased male., They received information that the victim's wife found him decapitated in a pool of blood, along with a machete and a large knife in the bathtub. Officers discovered the victim’s head inside a plastic bag in a cooking pot in a bedroom next to the bathroom and blood-stained rubber gloves in a bedroom and a trash can.[4] Police identified the deceased as Michael F. Mohn, 68, who lived with his wife and 32-year-old son Justin, who was absent when police arrived.[5] The federal government employed Michael for 20 years as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).[6] An autopsy revealed that Michael was shot in the head before Justin Mohn allegedly decapitated him.[7] Police became aware of a 14-minute video on YouTube that Justin Mohn posted, where he held his father’s head and wore the same kind of rubber gloves located at the scene. Hours after the incident, the Fort Indiantown Gap Police Department apprehended Justin Mohn after he broke into the National Guard Training Center with a pistol. Authorities charged him with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and possession of an instrument of crime.[8]
In the video, Justin Mohn ranted against the federal government, globalist leaders, big tech companies, the LGBTQ+ community, and BLM, whom he called “fifth column extremist organizations,” and Antifa, as a “terrorist organization.”[9] He demands the resignation of President Biden and all federal employees, closing border crossings, mass deportation of illegal immigrants, ending all gender propaganda in public schools, and a fair election. In the video, he issued several bounties for governmental officials, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Wray, Attorney General Garland, former Attorney General Barr, and Supreme Court Justice Roberts. Mohn claimed that while he worked as a contractor for Microsoft, he witnessed the company evade taxes, and when he informed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), they did nothing. Mohn asserted that during the 2020 presidential election, some electors saw him as the best candidate and declared the nation was under martial law and he was the acting president. He called for America to look back on its roots and return to a nation that values Judeau-Christian principles.[10]
Individuals who share Mohn’s ideals will very likely use his speech as justification to act violently against the groups he criticized, likely targeting political rallies, protests, or areas with a high concentration of federal employees. There is a roughly even chance they will engage in similar video-sharing incidents, likely exploiting media coverage of an attack to spread their message. Protests against illegal immigrants and the border crisis will likely increase, with individuals sharing Mohn's view very likely targeting housing centers for illegal immigrants and resorting to violent tactics. Extremist sympathizers will very likely reshare Mohn’s beliefs and recorded video on platforms like 4chan and Telegram, likely taking an interest in his calls for a domestic revolution against the political left. Sympathizers will likely consider carrying on Mohn’s legacy, calling for attacks on subjects he identifies as key actors within his perceived ideological and spiritual war.
Poll workers will very likely face increased threats from anti-government groups and election conspiracy theorists, likely believing the 2024 election will be illegitimate and biased. Federal and state authorities will almost certainly take threats to election personnel seriously, very likely allocating security personnel and monitoring resources to high-risk locations. There is a roughly even chance that confrontations between left and right-wing organizers at poll stations will grow throughout the 2024 election cycle, likely as a result of increasingly divisive rhetoric from lone-wolf incidents like Mohn.
Recommendations:
CTG recommends that federal employees and judiciary members always maintain active awareness. These individuals should take necessary caution to protect themselves and immediately report negative interactions or suspicious behavior.
CTG recommends that federal and state authorities launch investigations of the “Mohn Militia” to determine its authenticity and potential broader threat.
CTG recommends that US Marshals increase security presence for members of the US Supreme Court and other individuals mentioned in Justin Mohn’s video.
CTG recommends that federal law enforcement agencies continue to surveil anti-government organizations and take action against them if there is serious cause for concern.
CTG recommends groups, including the LGTBQ+ community and BLM, to avoid individuals who profess Mohn's ideals and report them to authorities.
CTG recommends that federal and state authorities work to ensure that locations housing illegal immigrants have the necessary protections.
CTG assesses that the current threat climate is HIGH as the 2024 election approaches and political tensions have increased across the US. Poll workers, political organizers, and LGBTQ+ are likely at the highest risk of retaliation in a heightened threat environment. Mohn’s manifesto, books, and ideological beliefs will very likely continue circulating within extremist circles, likely fostering like-minded sentiments of a domestic revolution against the American political left and a continuation of “Mohn Militia” sympathizers online. Mohn very likely sincerely believed he commanded a national militia network, although it is unlikely he organized a functional physical or online militia. There is a roughly even chance that Mohn's sympathizers will replicate his claims, likely seeking to build a support network for their movements. Mohn’s assertion of commanding a national militia will likely inspire others who claim to lead militias with similar insurrection goals, attempting to align supporters of both movements. Threats to left-wing movements have a roughly even chance of forming left-wing militias, likely deeming Mohn’s threats a long-term risk. Acts of violence between left and right-wing political affiliations will very likely increase, likely accusing one another of being a significant threat to the US political progress.
Analysis indicates that there is a HIGH PROBABILITY of political violence spreading in the US, VERY LIKELY furthering political divides. There is a VERY HIGH PROBABILITY federal law enforcement officials will face increased threats in the coming months. BLM members and supporters, the LGBTQ+ community, and illegal immigrants face a HIGH PROBABILITY of threat actors who seek to capitalize on building support.
[1] CTG Threat Hunter via 4chan
[2] CTG Threat Hunter via YouTube (video has seen been taken down)
[3] Ibid
[4] BUCKS COUNTY DA, MIDDLETOWN CHIEF HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE IN MOHN CASE, Buck’s County District Attorney’s Office, February 2024, https://bucks.crimewatchpa.com/da/29567/post/bucks-county-da-middletown-chief-hold-news-conference-mohn-case
[5] MAN CHARGED WITH KILLING FATHER IN MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP HOME, Buck’s County District Attorney’s Office, January 2024, https://bucks.crimewatchpa.com/da/29567/post/man-charged-killing-father-middletown-township-home
[6] Pennsylvania man arrested after allegedly killing his father and displaying his decapitated head on YouTube, NBC News, January 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pa-man-arrested-decapitating-father-youtube-video-rcna136509
[7] BUCKS COUNTY DA, MIDDLETOWN CHIEF HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE IN MOHN CASE, Buck’s County District Attorney’s Office, February 2024, https://bucks.crimewatchpa.com/da/29567/post/bucks-county-da-middletown-chief-hold-news-conference-mohn-case
[8] Ibid
[9] CTG Threat Hunter via YouTube (video has since been taken down)
[10] Ibid