A 33-year-old man accused of threatening to release deadly sarin gas during a Christmas Eve service at a Houston megachurch is facing a felony charge.
According to the Houston Police Department, officers were dispatched to Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve after the suspect, identified as Aaron Suppes, made the threat.
Suppes claimed he planned to release sarin gas, an extremely toxic chemical weapon, at the church during the crowded candlelight service, which was reportedly filled with over 5,000 people at the time.
A local CBS affiliate reported that services continued uninterrupted as police reviewed security footage and determined there was no immediate threat.
Authorities found duffel bags that Suppes had brought to the church and left near the front entrance. A bomb squad, along with a Houston Fire Department hazmat team, inspected the bags thoroughly for any explosive devices, but no threats were identified.
Investigators later discovered that Suppes had made another strange call earlier that same day, claiming to 911 dispatchers that he and his sister were being “microwaved from overseas,” leading them to suspect that his mental health might be a factor. Court documents indicated that he had been unemployed and homeless for at least six months, according to WLTX.
Using security cameras and information gathered during the investigation, police tracked down Suppes, who was still near Lakewood Church. He was arrested without incident and later taken to jail.
During a court appearance on Christmas Day, Suppes was formally charged with a felony offense of making a terroristic threat, with his bond set at $15,000.
Although the threat was determined to be a hoax, the incident raised concerns about security and safety at the megachurch. This follows a previous incident in February, where an armed woman wounded two people before being killed by off-duty officers at Lakewood.
On February 11, during a Sunday service, a woman carrying a long rifle, accompanied by a child, entered the church before being shot by off-duty police officers. The child, a 7-year-old boy, was critically injured, and a bystander aged 57 was shot in the leg.
The woman was later identified as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, who had also used the male name Jeffrey Escalante but identified as a Hispanic female.
According to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, it was two off-duty officers—a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent and a Houston Police Department officer—who shot and killed Moreno. Two weapons were recovered from the scene, including a 22 caliber rifle and an AR-15 with a "Palestine" sticker.
