PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A Palm Beach Gardens man is accused of making online threats targeting churches, including specifically mentioning one house of worship located near where he lived.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Michael Iaboni, 32, was arrested Saturday after receiving an anonymous tip from Crime Stoppers.
WATCH BELOW: Suspect accused of making threats to churches
The tip said that after Iaboni was recently fired from his job, he had been posting concerning videos on social media.
Investigators said one of the videos was posted on Nov. 4, but later deleted, and showed Iaboni saying that he was "fired up" and it was "all kill shot."
The affidavit said the video also showed Iaboni holding up his hands pretending to hold up a rifle toward the camera and making two "pew" sounds, mimicking the sound of a firearm shooting.
Iaboni then said he planned to target "mega churches" and others that "are and could potentially be dangerous," according to the affidavit.
"Christ Fellowship is on my list to hit also," the arrest report said. "My end game is taking you out. ... It's not necessarily the people that are yelling that you need to be worried about, it's the quiet ones. It's the ones that no longer fear death. I expect death to come fast and very violent. Hopefully I go out fast."
The affidavit said Iaboni made another threatening post on Nov. 7, where he said it was "gonna look like a genocide."
The arrest report said that they believed that Iaboni possessed firearms, and in 2023 was stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife police, where they confronted him about discharging a firearm in a public place.
Officials said that Christ Fellowship was having a large volunteer event on Nov. 9 and expected an additional 1,000 people at the church, in addition to their normal congregation.
The report said that Iaboni lived about 1.5 miles from Christ Fellowship and, on Nov. 2, signed up for an event to learn more about the church. The affidavit said that church staff later notified Palm Beach Gardens police about Iaboni "frequenting the Church lately."
Iaboni faces a charge of written threats to kill or do bodily harm, which includes threats of a mass shooting or a terrorism threat.
Online jail records show that Iaboni is being held on a $250,000 bond.
Iaboni's public defender has not returned messages seeking comment. WPTV also attempted to reach Iaboni's family over the phone on Monday, but the line disconnected.
Court records show that Iaboni has not yet entered a plea. His next hearing is set for Dec. 9.
WPTV spoke to representatives of Christ Fellowship regarding the arrest.
"We have great relationships with local law enforcement," said Greg Reade, the executive director of communications at Christ Fellowship.
During a phone call with WPTV, Reade said the 24,000-member church has a team that actively monitors for threats and uses local police, along with private armed security, to provide protection at events. The church also checks attendees' bags at events and runs background checks on those who serve the church, Reade said.
According to Reade, Iaboni had attended the church but never served as a volunteer there.
In this case, Reade emphasized that there were no active threats to Christ Fellowship beyond Iaboni's language in his videos. Reade said the church worked with law enforcement to ensure he was arrested before church on Sunday.
"We always tell people we want to be the safest place for them," Reade said.
