DETROIT – A Dearborn man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years, more than two years after he threatened to kill visitors at a Jewish temple in Oakland County and attempted to illegally purchase firearms.

Hassan Chokr, 37, admitted on Tuesday to possessing a firearm despite having a prior felony conviction. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 24 at the U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Federal authorities said that Chokr examined several firearms inside a Dearborn gun store in a failed attempt to buy weapons in violation of federal law due to his criminal history.

Chokr’s visit to the gun shop occurred on the evening of December 3, 2022 — just hours after he drove through the parking lot of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, which houses a daycare center for children. There, he threatened security guards and parents with anti-Semitic and racist slurs, reportedly shouting, “Damn Israel and the Jews!” and “You will all die!”, according to federal prosecutors.

At the gun store, Chokr — who is of Lebanese origin — allegedly told a store employee that the firearms would be used to “deliver God’s wrath” and “settle scores.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office released photos showing Chokr handling a semi-automatic pistol, an AR-15-style assault rifle and a hunting shotgun at Dearborn Outdoors. However, he was denied the purchases after failing a criminal background check.

Hassan Yehia Chokr. – Photo by the Oakland County Jail

Chokr faces up to 15 years in prison; court sets sentencing for September 24

Prosecutors said Chokr lied about his criminal record and failed to disclose that he had previously been committed to a mental health institution. On the federal purchase form, he falsely claimed he had never been convicted of or charged with a felony, despite being out on bond at the time, awaiting trial in Wayne County Circuit Court for assaulting a police officer in Detroit in 2020.

Chokr was arrested the following day at his home in Dearborn and has remained in custody without bond since. He was later sent to a mental health facility to receive treatment and assess his competency to stand trial.

Initially, Chokr was charged in 2022 with lying on a federal firearms purchase form, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. However, in 2023, that charge was dropped due to mental incompetency following his diagnosis with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type and antisocial personality disorder. Prosecutors then sought court approval to administer forced medication to restore his competency. Once deemed competent, he was charged with unlawful firearm possession based on photo and video evidence showing him handling weapons at the Dearborn gun shop.

“The federal government must do everything in its power to stem the rising tide of anti-Semitism,”
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in a statement. “Chokr’s attempt to purchase several deadly firearms in an apparent effort to follow through on his menacing threats against parents and preschoolers as they walked into a place of worship represents every American’s worst nightmare. And we will not allow anyone to terrorize our Jewish neighbors.”

“Hassan Chokr’s guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, along with his blatant disregard for children and parents outside of a Bloomfield Township daycare, is both dangerous and deeply disturbing,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The FBI in Michigan has zero tolerance for threats to our citizens and remains firmly committed to protecting our communities.”

In addition to the federal case, Chokr still faces local charges in Oakland County for ethnic intimidation and anti-Semitic threats related to the Temple Beth El incident.