(WXYZ) — A man at the center of an ethnic intimidation case and who has a history of courtroom antics will be back before a judge on Monday.
Hassan Chokr was first arrested on Dec. 2 when he allegedly made antisemitic and racist threats outside of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.
During his arraignment a few days later, he became aggressive and pointed his middle finger at the judge. Then, he was caught on camera mooning the judge the next day.
Last week, Chokr was in court, accused of trying to purchase three guns on the same day he made the threats, and lying on a federal firearms form.
Chokr's family said he has a history of mental health issues that need to be addressed, and the Arab-American Civil Rights League is now working with his family.
The case on Monday will be a preliminary exam where prosecutors will put on their case for felony charges. Last week, Chokr's attorney tried to get the judge to reduce his $1 million bond, but it was not granted.
During an event last night, Nasser Beydoun, the chair of the Arab American Civil Rights League, teamed up with metro Detroit's Jewish community to stand up against hate in Michigan.
Bigotry, hatred and intolerance and racism are our common enemy. Many of those who spout antisemitism also preach Islamophobia," Beydoun said. "Our common humanity guides us to condemn words of hate no matter to whom they are directed."
Chokr's brother, Hussein, also echoed similar sentiments.
"Hassan's actions were condemnable and do not reflect our beliefs. I would like to emphasize Hassan suffers from mental health issues. He has been in and out of mental health institutions for years and he has never received the help that he needs," Hussein said.
Chokr faces two counts of ethnic intimidation as well as federal firearms charge for allegedly lying in an attempt to purchase several guns.
Chokr's attorney and ACRL are pushing for Chkor's mental health needs to be addressed.
"We saw on Instagram the breaking where he was normal and where he was going through things, the progression into a manic state, where it cultivated and ended up at Temple Beth El," his attorney said.
