A 79-year-old Troy man faces four counts of aggravated hate crime after prosecutors say he threatened to kill four men outside the Troy Public Library while carrying a loaded pistol.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald charged Peter Hamilton Northup following the Sept. 12 incident, as reported by C&G Newspapers. The four men had been standing outside the library offering to discuss the Quran and Islam with the public when Northup allegedly approached them, said he hates Muslims and threatened to kill them, according to the prosecutor's office.

The men called police. Officers arrested Northup and found him carrying a loaded pistol, prosecutors said.

Troy Police Sgt. Edwin Julian said Northup acted alone and that no physical violence occurred, C&G reported.

"We do not see a lot of occurrences of hate crimes like this in Troy," Julian said via email.

Police recover 19 firearms

Troy police filed an extreme risk protection order petition to remove Northup's weapons, recovering 19 of the 22 firearms registered in his name, the prosecutor's office said. Prosecutors said Northup was a concealed pistol license holder at the time of the incident.

An extreme risk protection order temporarily prohibits a person at risk of harming themselves or others from possessing or buying firearms and allows law enforcement to recover their guns. The state's red flag law took effect in February 2024.

The prosecutor's office said Northup reportedly has dementia and that police had previously conducted welfare checks because of concerns about his mental health. McDonald said in a statement that Northup's "mental health issues and alleged actions make clear that he should not have access to deadly weapons."

Bail set at $500,000

Magistrate Elizabeth Chiappelli set Northup's bail at $500,000 on Sept. 15, according to C&G’s Oct. 13 report. The report said his case was in the 52-4 District Court, with a review hearing scheduled for Dec. 3.

C&G Newspapers reported that Northup's attorney, Patrick Wilson, did not respond to a request for comment.

Residents who witness a hate crime or feel threatened can contact the Troy Police Department.