Man charged with allegedly making terrorist threats at the Sturgis Rally pleads in court

John Charles Matthew Mann pleads in court to one count of making terrorist threats and one count of possession of a hoax substance or device to cause fear.
Published: Sep. 6, 2023 at 8:10 PM EDT
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RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - The man who was arrested during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with possible explosives, and guns and then charged with making a terrorist threat was in court Wednesday, September 6.

John Charles Matthew Mann, 42, pleaded not guilty to one count of making terrorist threats and one count of possession of a hoax substance or device to cause fear. Mann, from Washington State, was arrested during a routine traffic stop while allegedly on his way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Reportedly, when Mann was pulled over, law enforcement found two AR-15s, body armor, three handguns, bomb-making material, and a device that police say appeared to be a pipe bomb. Law enforcement also found a several hundred-page manifesto titled Manifesto: Descent into the Rational Justification for Genocide. The manifesto included descriptions of murder, mass killings, abduction and sexual molestation of children, and suicidal ideation.

Mann will be held on a $250 thousand dollar bond until the testing of the potentially explosive devices is completed.

He will be back in court for a bond hearing on September 20.