Man accused of making death threats to local mosque behind bars

MARSHALL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The man who police say made death threats to a local mosque is in the Allegheny County Jail. A judge denied him bond.

“I feel relief that the authorities are taking it as seriously as it needs to be,” Christine Mohamed told Channel 11

Mohamed is the executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations.

She spoke to Channel 11 today via Zoom about Ted Frank, who police say left a voicemail filled with hate speech and death threats at the Islamic Center of Western Pennsylvania.

“We have to draw a line in the sand with hateful rhetoric. That has to have harsh consequences. You can’t go around threatening harm and destruction and death,” she added. 

According to investigators, Frank left the message and caused panic inside of the Marshall Township mosque. Everyone was evacuated as police dogs searched the building. 

It happened around 5:30 in the evening on Friday. At that time, a mosque board member says they were preparing for an evening service, where they expected 300 people to show up. 

“We’re talking about on Fridays, hundreds of people, kids, elderly coming together. That’s a lot of food prep,” Mohamed said. 

The board member said they decided to cancel the service, and “while the decision was heartbreaking, especially during the last few nights of the holy month of Ramadan, the safety of our community must always come first.” 

“Pittsburgh has seen its own set of tragedies. So we don’t want to endanger anybody. And sometimes it’s the hardest decision to make, sometimes it’s the best and safest one,” Mohamed said. 

Frank, who is from Beaver County, is facing terroristic threats and ethnic intimidation charges — and a judge ruled that no set of bond conditions can ensure the safety of the community. 

“To hear how quickly he was arrested and the authorities were on top of it, it makes my community feel safer as a whole and supported,” she said. 

Officials with the mosque say they’re going to have extra police security through Ramadan and then reassess the situation. 

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