Ely man charged with making terroristic threats against Obama, high school

A 23-year-old northern Minnesota man faces a felony charge for making threats against a local high school and President Barack Obama on Facebook.

Travis Mattila of Ely was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony terroristic threats. WDIO-TV reports the Ely Police Department began investigating last Thursday after receiving a complaint about posts Mattila made between Jan. 28 and March 25.

A court document says Mattila threatened to blow up Ely Memorial School and take children hostage to further the unrest in a Jan. 28 Facebook post. The document says Mattila later posted threats about raping 6- to 9-year-old girls and shooting Obama.

An email seeking comment was sent early Thursday to an attorney who represented Mattila in a separate case in 2009.

He's being held on $20,000 bail at the St. Louis County Jail.

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