Ahmad Z’yiem Guilford, a 21-year-old from Georgetown, S.C., faces federal charges for making violent threats to aviation businesses at airports in Charleston, Georgetown, and Florence.
Threat Details
Starting in November 2025, Guilford allegedly used spoofed phone numbers to call flight schools and businesses, threatening to rape a female employee at a Charleston-area flight school and to “shoot up” the Charleston, Georgetown, and Florence airports. He taunted authorities by claiming “you can’t find me” and vowed to continue flooding their lines.
Investigation Process
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force traced the calls to Guilford, who lived near Georgetown airport and admitted frustration over airplane noise, even revving his engine at the airport in retaliation. Agents identified his voice matching recordings; he initially denied involvement but later conceded it sounded like him.
Court Status
Guilford made his initial appearance in Florence federal court on January 20, 2026, and remains detained ahead of a January 23 detention hearing. Conviction on each charge—making interstate threats and false statements to agents—carries up to five years in prison.
