WASHINGTON (WNCN) – A Fayetteville man was sentenced to home confinement for threatening to kill members of a Raeford mosque in June.

Russell Thomas Langford, 36, pleaded guilty in November to a felony dealing with threatening mosque members in order to obstruct their free exercise of religious beliefs, the Department of Justice said.

Langford admitted to repeatedly driving by the Masjid Al Madina Mosque on June 9, 2016 and following a member to their house. He also admitted to driving back to the mosque where he threatened to kill a mosque member and bury them there.

Langford said he left the mosque only to return later that night. At that point, members of the mosque called authorities.

As part of his guilty plea, Langford admitted he “acted intentionally to threaten the mosque’s members and obstruct their religious exercise.”

“The free exercise of religion is a foundational principle of our society,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Wheeler. “Hateful threats designed to obstruct this right to religious freedom and to intimidate members of a religion simply because of their beliefs have no place in our communities.”

Langford was sentenced to eight months home confinement.

Langford was originally charged with ethnic intimidation, assault with a deadly weapon, going armed to the terror of the public, communicating threats, stalking and disorderly conduct.

He was a major in the U.S. Army Reserves at the time of his arrest.