Man charged with terroristic threat after incident at Houston Ismaili Center
A 29-year-old Houston man was charged after police say he threatened to kill Muslims and Jews at the new Ismaili Center. He is free on a $30,000 bond and is due back in court June 30.
A 29-year-old Houston man faces a terroristic threat charge after court documents say he threatened to return to the Ismaili Center, Houston and kill Muslims and Jews during a confrontation at the site along Allen Parkway.
Jacolby Trevon Poindexter was arrested Saturday, May 17, after investigators linked him to the April 11 encounter at the southeast corner of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard. Court records say Poindexter drove onto the property, spoke with a security guard and complained that the area was being taken over. When he was asked to leave, the exchange escalated, and the documents say he made threats that alarmed staff at the site.
The security guard called Houston police out of concern for safety. Poindexter later told investigators he had been at the center and denied making threats, saying he was only voicing an opinion. He was released on a $30,000 bond and is scheduled to return to court June 30.
The allegations have drawn attention because the target was not just another private property but Houston’s newest major faith landmark. The Ismaili Center, Houston opened to the public in December 2025 after a formal inauguration on November 6, 2025, by Mayor John Whitmire in the presence of Prince Rahim Aga Khan V. It is the first Ismaili Center in the United States and one of seven worldwide.
The center was developed as a place of worship, education, community gatherings, dialogue, culture and service. The Aga Khan Development Network has described it as open to all Houstonians, not only Ismailis, and Houston Public Media reported that the project covers about 11 acres, including roughly 9 acres of gardens and courtyards.
That context helps explain why the alleged threat is landing as more than a routine criminal case. For the Ismaili community, the incident struck at a high-profile site meant to welcome worshippers and neighbors alike. For nearby residents and anyone using the Montrose and Allen Parkway corridor, the case is a reminder that security around prominent religious and cultural spaces has become part of the city’s daily public-safety landscape.
The case now moves forward in Harris County as investigators and center leaders continue working in the shadow of a site designed to symbolize openness, even as court documents say a visitor turned that symbolism into a threat.
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