Georgetown Man Arrested for Threatening to “Shoot Up” S.C. Airports, Lying to Federal Agents

FLORENCE, S.C. — According to an arrest warrant unsealed today, Ahmad Z’yiem Guilford, 21, of Georgetown, has been charged with making threats toward numerous aviation-related businesses across South Carolina, and with lying to federal agents about making the threats.  

According to the criminal complaint, beginning around November 2025 several local law enforcement authorities began receiving complaints from flight schools and aviation businesses located at airports in Charleston, Georgetown, and Florence.  The complainants stated that a caller was utilizing different phone numbers to make violent and graphic threats to both the airports and to the individuals who answered the phone calls.  The complainants provided authorities with several recorded calls which demonstrate the threats being made. For example, on or about Nov. 14, 2025, the caller stated that he was going to rape a female employee of a Charleston area flight school who answered his phone call, threatened to “shoot up” the Charleston and Georgetown airports, and taunted authorities stating, “you can’t find me!” Additionally, on or about Dec. 18, 2025, the same individual called a business at the Florence airport and stated that he was going to “shoot that *** up.”  He stated that “y’all can’t find me … because I’m making different numbers…”  He further stated, “I’m never going to stop doing that ***. I’m going to flood y’alls ***. Watch.” 

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force became involved and determined that the threats to all three of the airports were coming from one individual that they identified as Guilford. Investigators learned that he was using websites to generate fictitious cell phone numbers that were used when making the threatening phone calls. 

On Dec. 23, 2025, agents went to Guilford’s house, which was located near the Georgetown airport, to interview him.  According to the complaint, Guilford admitted to having an issue with the noise created by airplanes flying over his residence and stated that he travelled to the Georgetown airport and revved his engine in retaliation for the noise, but he denied making the threatening phone calls.  Agents recognized, however, that his voice and speech patterns appeared to match the recorded calls, and he admitted that it sounded like his voice on the phone. 

Guilford is currently charged with making interstate threats and making false statements to a federal agent. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Florence on Jan. 20 and is currently detained pending further proceedings in this matter. A detention hearing has been set for Jan. 23 at 10:30 a.m.  He faces up to five years in federal prison as to each violation if he is convicted. 

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force with support from Georgetown Country Sheriff’s Office, Georgetown Police Department, North Charleston Police Department, Florence Regional Airport Department of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian is prosecuting the case.

 All charges in the complaint are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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