A Missouri man accused of making threatening phone calls to a mosque in Georgia has pleaded not guilty.

The Augusta Chronicle reports that 49-year-old Preston Q. Howard entered his plea on 10 counts of issuing threats by means of interstate communications on Thursday.

He was indicted on charges of placing 10 threatening calls to the Islamic Society of Augusta, Georgia, between June and August. The indictment says he phoned in a series of threats to "blow up the mosque" and "shoot and kill Muslims," as well as to "behead" worshippers and set them on fire after dousing them with gasoline.

Howard, of Wright City, Missouri, will remain incarcerated in Georgia pending trial. His court-appointed attorney was provided a copy of the investigative file Thursday.

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Information from: The Augusta Chronicle , http://www.augustachronicle.com