The suspect reportedly threatened to kill journalists, saying they are the “enemy of the people.”
Robert Chain, 68, has been arrested after he repeatedly called the Boston Globe and made death threats to its journalists, reports the Huffington Post.
According to the report, during one call the man promised to “shoot you motherf**kers in the head, you Boston Globe c**ksuckers. Shoot every f**king one of you.”
“I’m going to shoot you in the f**king head later today, at four o’clock,” he reportedly said in another call, suggesting the newspaper staff call special counsel Robert Mueller for help.
When the journalists asked why he keeps threatening them, Chain reportedly replied, “Because you are the enemy of the people, and I want you to go f**k yourself.”
“As long as you keep attacking the president, the duly elected president of the United States, in the continuation of your treasonous and seditious acts, I will continue to threats [sic], harass and annoy the Boston Globe, owned by the New York Times, the other fake news,” Chain is quoted as saying by the Post. (NYT sold the Boston Globe in 2013, according to The Guardian.)
Apparently, the man was quoting US President Donald Trump, who referred to the “FAKE NEWS media” as the “enemy of the people” earlier in February. Trump has popularized the trope at rallies and on his Twitter page.
“The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People,” Trump tweeted on February 18.
According to the FBI, Chain owns several firearms, including a 9-millimeter carbine rifle.
The FBI said Chain’s calls scared employees at the Globe, leading the newspaper to call the police and hire a private security company to protect its staff.
Following Chain’s arrest, Massachusetts federal attorney Andrew Lelling made a statement saying threats like those allegedly made by Chain would not be tolerated.
“Anyone — regardless of political affiliation — who puts others in fear for their lives will be prosecuted by this office,” Lelling said. “In a time of increasing political polarization, and amid the increasing incidence of mass shootings, members of the public must police their own political rhetoric. Or we will.”
Chain has been charged with one count of making threatening communications in interstate commerce.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
