KPIX reports 55-year-old William Celli was arrested at his home in the 5100 block of Mcbryde Avenue in Richmond and booked into the Contra Costa County jail Sunday afternoon.
Three days earlier, a concerned citizen notified police of Celli’s alleged intent to harm Muslims. The San Jose Mercury News reports Richmond police evacuated residents near Celli’s home at around 2:00 p.m. The Richmond police SWAT team and detectives discovered a suspected explosive device inside the suspect’s home and the police bomb squad from nearby Walnut Creek was called in to detonate it.
Raw Story reports Celli’s social media pages contained posts complaining about Syrian refugees, Democrats and Republicans he views as not conservative enough. Celli is reportedly a big fan of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, who has called for a total ban on Muslim immigration and travel to the United States.
“Donald trumps on again I’m happy leaders okay but this guys a great point man I’ll follow this MAN to the end of the world,” Celli posted on Facebook on October 21.
“Donald Trump’s on again I’m feeling good about myself,” he posted October 28.
Earlier, Celli expressed the type of anti-Latin American immigrant sentiment with which Trump launched his presidential run.
“I’m very unhappy to report we are getting invaded by tens of thousands of illegals I have lost 30% of my business to to Hispanics coming to my country under false pretenses an and freeload in construction or in the blue collar sector they need to go back home lets not talk about the welfare they suck dry,” the self-employed plumber wrote on Facebook in June 2014.
Attacks on Muslims and other Islamophobic incidents have increased in the wake of recent Islamist terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. However, since the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, right-wing extremism has claimed more lives on American soil than Islamist terror.
