A California man accused of threatening to blow up a Detroit-area mosque told a judge on Friday he wanted a new lawyer, saying his current counsel "is a Shiite" and a "patron of the mosque."

Roger Stockham, 63, appeared at what was scheduled to be his preliminary examination on charges of making a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of possessing explosives with an unlawful intent.

But he instead told Dearborn District Court Judge Mark Somers: "I reject my appointed counsel. He is a Shiite," referring to the sect of Islam.

Defense attorney Mark Haidar, who wasn't present for the hearing, told The Associated Press earlier this week that he disclosed his Muslim faith to Stockham during their initial meeting at the jail.

Somers said he recognized Stockham was not satisfied with his legal representation, ordered him to a holding area and said he would see about getting him a new attorney.