A federal judge denied pre-trial release for the suspect who reportedly planned a terror attack in New Orleans targeting federal law enforcement.

Federal Magistrate Judge Carole Whitehurst in Louisiana’s Western District on Thursday ordered that New Iberia native Micah Legnon, 29, must stay jailed until trial. He is being held on a count of threats in interstate commerce

Federal agents say Legnon, who is a former U.S. Marine, reportedly joined at least one online chat group where threatening, anti-government posts were uncovered. Legnon is also accused of posting at least one message on social media criticizing federal law enforcement agents who are participating in immigration enforcement efforts in New Orleans and across Louisiana, according to court documents.

Court records state Legnon’s post caught the attention of federal agents who began surveilling him.

They later saw Legnon leaving his home in New Iberia armed with weapons and body, according to court documents. He was pulled over and arrested tied to the threatening posts, federal officials said.

While officials have yet to identify an official motive publicly, experts say there are many possibilities as to why Legnon, a former servicemember, would become radicalized to the point of participating in political violence.

“There are varying factors that can contribute to individuals who are open to radicalization to whatever ideology there is,” said Lara Burns, head of terrorism research at the George Washington University Program on Extremism.

Before joining the world of academia, Burns worked with the FBI to study and combat terrorism.

“We have seen it, you know whether it is an individual who had a healthy lifestyle and then underwent some sort of personal trauma and was looking for a solution or was having an emotional crisis and found the answer in ideologies,” added Burns. “And in other instances, individuals who just inherently want to commit acts of violence, and they’re seeking an excuse to legitimize their behavior. They want to hate, they want to commit violence, and they rely on these ideologies that justify that in their mind so that they are not seeing themselves as bad actors rather seeing themselves as heroes.”

According to court documents, the FBI said Legnon participated in these groups under aliases including “Kateri” and “Black Witch” while posting in the group

A potential affiliation between Legnon and the Turtle Island Liberation Front, of which multiple members were arrested after officials say they planned bombings in Los Angeles, was also being explored by the FBI.

Burns says groups that operate as an echo chamber could become a breeding ground for people looking for a like-minded community, but in the context of political violence, these groups can potentially escalate from conversation to violence.

“You’re being encouraged to feel the way that you feel and encouraged to act upon those feelings in ways that you know society would disagree with. In that echo chamber, those ideas are praised,” said Burns.

The FBI said it uncovered evidence that led agents to believe that Legnon was headed to New Orleans to commit the possible terror attack.

Court documents state FBI agents specifically spotted Legnon move an assault rifle and body armor out of his home in New Iberia and place them into his vehicle just after noon on Dec. 12. Violent posts were being shared from an account suspected of belonging to Legnon around the same time, according to court documents.

A search warrant executed at the home uncovered sniper training manuals, SWAT training manuals, assault rifles and multiple rounds of ammunition, according to court documents.

Federal law enforcement agents working in the city are suspected of being Legnon’s target based on the posts made in the group, according to federal court documents.

Burns says Legnon’s prior combat training as a U.S. Marine could make apprehending him more urgent but added any extremist trying to participate in political violence can be dangerous.

“In this day and age a vehicle can be a weapon. If you have an extremist that wants to commit an act of violence, they can get in their car and use the car as a weapon. But I think across the board when you have individuals who have consumed an extreme ideology and believe that violence is the answer there is a threat there,” she said.

Burns says there are some behaviors to keep an eye out for to help identify if someone has fallen victim to a dangerous ideology and is preparing to participate in political violence.

“I think that there are a number of signs that people should be paying attention to. One is the complete immersion in social media, especially if that is a change in pattern for an individual also. I encourage people, especially parents with younger children who are exposed to social media to pay attention to when an individual begins to expose hatred towards a specific individual or a group of individuals, what they look like, where they come from,” she said.

Burns added that it’s important to have a conversation after noticing the change in behavior

“We should stop and ask why are you feeling this way and determine what the root is. And perhaps with that dialogue then you can off-ramp individuals who are going down the wrong path and being fed ideologies by members of the social media groups,” she explained.

Among the slew of documents filed this week was a financial affidavit signed by Legnon. The affidavit was submitted to the court as part of a request for Legnon to be granted a federal public defender because he could not afford an attorney.

Court records show a judge granted that request. Efforts to reach his attorney were not successful.