Ex-Bodyguard of Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema Arrested on Gun Plot Allegations

Matthew Ammel, a former bodyguard and ex-lover of ex-Senator Kyrsten Sinema, was arrested Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona, on suspicion of violating his release conditions and plotting to acquire a rifle. Prosecutors stated Ammel had vowed to "take down" the former senator and asked military contacts to build him a weapon.

Ammel, 39, was taken into custody without incident in a Cheesecake Factory parking lot. Police reported that he had breached the terms of his release, which were set on September 17 following charges related to the alleged destruction of Sinema's home. Specifically, he is accused of attempting to contact Sinema through a mutual acquaintance, an action barred by his release terms.

Sinema reported the contact to authorities on September 22. According to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, she has declined to cooperate with prosecutors.

Court documents indicate that a sheriff's lieutenant in North Carolina alerted detectives that Ammel was seeking a firearm and tactical equipment. Prosecutors also allege that Ammel "contacted military friends to build him a rifle, purchased tactical gear, and discussed funeral arrangements," along with threatening to harm a judge and law enforcement officers. A filing from Maricopa County Deputy Attorney Bryn Barasha expressed the state's fear that Ammel "will escalate his retaliation if released."

The arrest followed Ammel's GPS tracker placing him at a gun shop in north Phoenix, where he had left a hunting knife for engraving. His release conditions prohibited him from possessing such a weapon. Ammel claimed the knife was intended as a gift for his nephew's Marine Corps boot camp graduation.

A judge set Ammel's bond at $25,000 on Wednesday. However, prosecutors sought to raise it to $100,000 cash-only, citing his alleged threats against Sinema and describing him as "highly trained."

Ammel refused to be transported from jail for his arraignment on Thursday. The judge rescheduled the hearing for October 15 and ordered that Ammel be brought before the court by any means necessary.

The charges stem from an incident on August 30, when Ammel allegedly caused $200,000 in damage to Sinema's home in Cave Creek. Court records state that he threatened to destroy her paintings by throwing them into her pool if she did not post a video on her X account. After she refused, Ammel allegedly damaged 22 paintings and broke liquor bottles and a mirror.

In a seven-minute video recorded during his first deployment to Iraq in 2007, soldiers are shown treating a wounded man before loading him onto a helicopter, Ammel told The Republic. He stated his anger at the "system" led him to damage Sinema's belongings.

Sinema, who served one term in the Senate from 2019 to 2025, has since joined the law firm Hogan Lovells as a senior adviser. Ammel, who met Sinema through former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, joined her security detail in 2022. The two began an affair in 2024.

Ammel described feeling like "arm candy" while accompanying Sinema to various events, including those related to the defense company Palantir, a British American Tobacco board dinner, and the wedding of CNN anchor Jessica Dean. He characterized a final trip to Washington with Sinema for a Palantir CEO event as a "genocide celebration" of the Gaza war.

Ammel's ex-wife, Heather Ammel, is suing Sinema under North Carolina's "homewrecker" law, alleging that the former senator ruined their 14-year marriage. Sinema has acknowledged the affair.

Ammel denied his ex-wife's assertion that Sinema exploited him, stating, "Kyrsten didn't take advantage of me. She was nice to me."

The Republic reported that Ammel faced accusations in 2025 of strangling healthcare workers while committed in North Carolina. A grand jury indicted Ammel on a single felony count related to the criminal damage case on September 24. His trial is scheduled for February 11, 2027.

"I had a dumb job, but I'm not dumb. Or crazy, I'm just sick of the system. I want to see my kids and my dog Scout and go back in the Army," Ammel told The Republic.