WASHINGTON : A Florida man has been arrested over death threats made against President Biden, U.S. prosecutors announced Wednesday.
The big picture: Following the attempted assassination on former President Trump at a Pennsylvania rally Saturday, lawmakers’ fears of political violence have deepened amid a period of growing threats against elected officials.
Details: Jason Patrick Alday, 39, of Quincy, is accused of making threats against Biden and federal officials from a mental health facility in Tallahassee, Florida, and in social media posts, according to court documents.
- A U.S. Secret Service agent interviewed Alday on July 1 after a worker at the facility where the accused man was a patient contacted the USSS about Alday allegedly saying that he disliked Biden and wanted “to kill him, slit his throat.”
- Alday denied making a threatening statement about Biden, according to the court documents.
- Days later, the Secret Service found several X posts from an account the agency said it identified as Alday’s containing threats to kill the president and multiple posts using racial slurs against the USSS agent who interviewed him.
- “Sources: Joe biden’s health is declining rapidly. Not doing too good at all. Should I finish him off?” one post read, prosecutors allege.
State of play: Prosecutors said Alday was arrested on Monday — two days after the Trump rally shooting in Pennsylvania, which left one attendee dead and sparked intense scrutiny over the Secret Service’s response.
- Alday was charged with making threats against the president, sending a threatening communication and making threats against federal officials, per a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida.
- He was ordered detained, pending trial.
Courtesy : Axios
