DEARBORN — Last week, a local man was arrested at his residency for a weapons violation after an FBI agent had questioned him about possible ties to al-Qaeda, according to the Dearborn Police Department.

On the morning of Friday, August 9, the 19-year-old was awakened when his probation office, and the FBI agent had knocked on his door at his home, located on Middlepointe Street. The agent was inquiring about a photo he had of the local man holding a pellet gun.

According to the report, the man was questioned about the photo, and if he had any ties to al-Qaeda. The agents also asked the man about an incident in which he was overheard saying he wanted to blow up a vehicle.

The man denied any relations to al-Qaeda, claiming that the photo in question was over 18-months old. Additionally, he said that he had only made statements about blowing up a vehicle when a woman had cut him off during a traffic incident, but he claimed that threat was made out of anger, and was an isolated incident.

The man has had previous run-ins with the law. He was placed on probation for allegedly stealing computers from Detroit Public Schools.

The FBI agent and probation officer asked if they could search his home, and the man complied with that request. Upon their search, they found a .22-caliber handgun inside of a bedroom, under a bed, even though the man had stated before the house search that there was no weapons in the home. Authorities had reason to believe the gun belonged to the man, and arrested him for being a felon in possession of a fire arm.

The man denied that the gun belonged to him, claiming that it belonged to his brother, who stored it there to keep it out of his younger daughter’s reach. The man claimed that he doesn’t sleep in the room where the gun was found, despite storing his clothes there. He added that the gun was only to be used in case of an emergency, because there had been several break-ins in the neighborhood.

Authorities also asked the man if they could search his emails for suspicious activity, and the man complied.

As of Thursday, both the FBI and Dearborn Police Department would not release the name of the man, however, he has been released from jail. The case remains open, and is being handled by the Department of Corrections.