Antioch Man Watched ISIS Videos, Tried To Buy Sniper Rifle: Feds

ANTIOCH, TN -- Federal agents arrested an Antioch man Friday who they say lied on a background check form when he tried to buy a sniper rifle at a La Vergne Walmart after watching ISIS propaganda videos.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents began investigating 26-year-old Khari Malik Whitehead earlier this year after receiving "a number of alarming notifications," including from a family member who said he'd been watching ISIS and mass shooting videos online. The family member allegedly told authorities they feared Whitehead had been "radicalized."

In February, Whitehead allegedly went to the La Vergne Walmart in February to buy a semi-automatic sniper rifle, telling the clerk he wanted a gun that could "hold a lot of bullets." When he filled out a required background check form, he checked a box saying that he'd never been committed to a mental institution; however, in 2017, a Rutherford County judge ordered Whitehead receive mental evaluation. That incident was flagged during the required background check.

Whitehead is charged with making a false statement in connection with the attempted purchase of a firearm. He is in federal custody and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

Whitehead was arrested in 2013 for aggravated assault after showing off a hand grenade in a Nashville nightclub.

If convicted on the firearms charge, Whitehead faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Photo via Metro Nashville Police