BRENTWOOD — It started with a call by a concerned citizen about a young man allegedly possessing a pistol inside a local grocery store.
Last September, Brentwood police responded and arrested 21-year-old Noah Kanaye Bauer on suspicion of possessing a homemade, unserialized pistol inside the Raley’s on Sand Creek Road. But when they took a look at Bauer’s computer, the FBI got called in, according to court records.
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What authorities allegedly uncovered was that Bauer had been taking an interest in anti-Semitic sites and white supremacist sites, some espousing “race purity” or advancing the white nationalist Great Replacement theory. He also researched famous mass shooters, like a man who went on a murder spree in Isla Vista, or a neo-Nazi who killed 69 at a Norwegian summer camp.
Now, prosecutors have successfully moved to keep Bauer behind bars while his case is pending. He was charged last week with transfer or possession of a machine gun, The charge is based on a 3D printer Bauer allegedly possessed and used to make firearms and a so-called conversion switch that allow pistols to fire much more rapidly, according to court records.
The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors announced the case in a news release last week but made no mention of Bauer’s alleged interest in mass shootings or espoused hatred of Jewish people.
In a Monday court hearing in Oakland, prosecutors convinced U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore that Bauer posed a danger to the public. She signed a detention order, keeping him in federal custody without bail until his case is resolved or another judge overturns the ruling.
“(Bauer) has the knowledge and capacity to inflict significant violence, has demonstrated a disturbing anti-Semitic ideology, and poses a significant danger to the community,” prosecutors wrote in court filings.
Westmore noted several factors behind her decision, including the disturbing internet searches that continued even after the September interaction with Brentwood police. But one chilling alleged admission stands out — prosecutors argued that when Bauer brought the gun to a grocery store it was a “practice” run for later “carrying live ammunition.”
During his interview with Brentwood police, Bauer was candid about his belief that Jewish people “are kind of ruining the country,” that they control finances and “own all the porn sites,” and that he learned about it from watching YouTube videos. He admitted to having a page on X — where he reposted Holocaust denier theories — with a profile that referenced being a “white advocate,” telling police he simply thought it was “kind of funny,” according to court filings.
Six months later, the FBI raided his home, seized his hard drive, and went through his search history. They found searches for which pullets could penetrate “police vests,” as well as “where do most Hasidic Jews live” and how to cut someone’s throat for an “instant kill,” prosecutors allege.
Bauer’s brother — who was present with him at the Raley’s reportedly told police he didn’t think it should be illegal to carry a gun in public, but also noted Bauer’s increasing interest in anti-Semitic content, authorities said. He also told police that Bauer had experience shooting firearms at a gun range, through another shared interest.
They were both Boy Scouts.
