Fri. Nov 8th, 2024

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at a Lansing event announcing that a future expeditionary fast transport ship will be named “USS Lansing,” July 22, 2024 | Lucy Valeski

A prisoner in the Michigan Department of Corrections has been charged with threatening Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s life.

Jihaad Ahmad, 36, currently serving a prison sentence for unarmed robbery, was arraigned Monday in Lansing’s 54-A District Court on one count of false report or threat of terrorism. 

According to a press release from the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, after being denied parole, Ahmad sent a letter to Whitmer’s office in May 2024. In the letter, he threatened the governor’s life and said would bomb her residence when he was released from prison. The letter was turned over to the Michigan State Police for investigation. 

“Violence and violent rhetoric directed at elected officials pose significant threats to not only them but our democracy as a whole,” Nessel said. “My department is committed to prosecuting this offense to the fullest extent of the law.” 

According to online state records, Ahmad was sentenced in 2013 in Oakland County to serve up to 22 ½ years in prison for his conviction on a single count of unarmed robbery. He is currently lodged at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia.

If convicted on the new charge, Ahmad could be sentenced to up to 20 years’ incarceration and/or up to $20,000 fine. He will next appear in 54-A District on Nov. 14, 2024, before Judge Cynthia Ward. 

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