Kailua man, 43, threatens landlord and to blow up police station and public school

A 43-year-old Kailua man who has allegedly been threatening his landlord since December 2017, including threats to blow up the Kailua police station and shoot up a school in retaliation, is now in federal custody.

A criminal complaint, unsealed Friday, against Sean Michael Fujiwara alleges he sent “bizarre, violent and terrorism-related statements” proclaiming allegiance to ISIS and threatening the president and governor.

The complaint filed in federal court Tuesday says Fujiwara sent at least 21 emails between Dec. 8, 2017, and Monday that referenced foreign terrorist organizations and/or were threatening. He was arrested Wednesday and appeared via telephone in federal court Thursday, and the judge ordered the complaint to be unsealed.

Fujiwara on Dec. 11, 2017, allegedly emailed a law enforcement agency, saying he “will kill 30 people close to me, then ISIS will trust me fully!!!”

It appears from emails Fujiwara allegedly sent that he was evicted by the landlord for failing to pay rent, resulting in having his credit ruined and car repossessed, and having to live in his grandmother’s garage, and later lost his job.

However, when law enforcement responded to his home address on several occasions, he denied sending any threatening messages and told officers he must have been hacked, saying it might have been his brother or the landlord.

The complaint says some of the messages originating from some email addresses traced back to an IP address linked to Fujiwara’s residence claim to be from the landlord, who denied the hacking allegations and said he lacked the technical ability to do so.

It’s also alleged that on Feb. 25, 2018, Fujiwara threatened to injure students and teachers at a public school, saying, “Come tomorrow, I will shoot and kill all teachers and students at (school), and you may stay alive bitch so you can get sued by parents!!!!!!!”

The complaint does not name the school.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Eli Miranda said in a written release Friday, “The FBI takes these types of threats very serious especially when they reference schools and the killing of students and teachers. Many times these threats are more than words and are actually a precursor to violence,” adding that the FBI works “to identify the author of such threats to ensure they are stopped before they act out.”

On April 22, 2019, a state of Hawaii employee reported to the FBI that Fujiwara threatened the governor.

In December, Fujiwara allegedly sent emails to a work supervisor, saying, “I, Sean Michael Fujiwara pleadge (sic) allegiance to ISIS and plan to burn down the entire (company name) Corporation on Oahu!!!!”

The supervisor and two other employees reported it Dec. 9 to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center and provided further emails on Dec. 28 and March 11.

The FBI on Jan. 5 received, through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, a complaint relaying a message allegedly from Fujiwara saying he would kill Donald J. Trump and “Death to the United States of America!!!!”

On June 8 a message was sent to a law enforcement agency saying he planted a bomb at the Kailua Police Station, adding, “F—- all u white Nazis police!” from a mobile phone.

A detention hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, and a preliminary hearing for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 13, both by telephone before Magistrate Judge Rom Trader.

The government filed a motion to detain Fujiwara without bail.

U.S. Attorney Kenji Price said, “Words have meaning, and the law enforcement community in Hawaii will not tolerate the use of electronic communications to send threatening words to victims in our communities.”