Prosecutors accuse a Chandler man of plotting a bomb-and-gun attack on a house of worship, and his lawyer calls it hearsay from an ex-houseguest.

The judge's own words are the story here: probable cause, but evidence that leans heavily on hearsay. The defense says the FBI searched the house Sept. 29, went through his devices with his passwords and walked away without charges. At the Oct. 26 preliminary hearing, prosecutors will have to show this is more than one angry former houseguest's account.

Matthew Bjornholt, 27, of Chandler, Arizona, is charged with one felony count of making a terrorist threat after Maricopa County prosecutors accused him of planning a mass-casualty attack on a Jewish or Muslim house of worship, FOX 10 Phoenix reported. Bjornholt made his initial appearance Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Hoodline also reported the case Saturday, citing FOX 10's account of the hearing.

At the hearing, prosecutor Stephen Garcia asked for a $500,000 cash bond and described Bjornholt as an imminent danger to the community, according to FOX 10. Garcia told the court Bjornholt had allegedly revealed detailed plans to attack a religious facility, kept a copy of "The Anarchist Cookbook" and called it his "Bible." Prosecutors allege the plan called for bombs to be detonated before an accomplice began "picking off people" with firearms. Investigators seized three guns and ammunition from his home, the station reported. Prosecutors have not said publicly whether a specific house of worship was targeted or whether an accomplice actually exists.

Defense attorney Chad Schell denied the allegations and told the court the case rests on hearsay from a former acquaintance Bjornholt had let stay on his couch and then kicked out in late September, FOX 10 reported. Schell said the FBI executed a search warrant at Bjornholt's home on Sept. 29, that Bjornholt voluntarily turned over his electronic devices and passwords, and that federal investigators found no evidence of terrorism or bomb-making materials and did not bring charges. County authorities took over the case more than two weeks later, according to the station. Schell also said the guns were lawfully owned because Bjornholt's civil rights were restored after he completed a sentence on a prior drug charge, which came out of a case in which a first-degree murder charge against him was dropped for lack of evidence.

The judge found probable cause to move the case forward but said the state's preliminary evidence relied heavily on hearsay, FOX 10 reported. The court rejected the $500,000 request and set bond at $100,000 with mandatory electronic monitoring. Bjornholt is scheduled for a status conference Oct. 22 and a preliminary hearing Oct. 26. A charge is an accusation, not a conviction. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.