A man from Addison, New York, was arrested on Friday and charged with threatening to assault and murder a U.S. official after he allegedly made death threats against Rep. Ilhan Omar.
According to the criminal complaint and affidavit, on 21st March, a member of Omar’s staff received a phone call from Patrick Carlineo during which he threatened to kill the congresswoman. The staff member reportedly recalls Carlineo asking whether they worked for the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing Omar of being a terrorist, and threatened to “put a bullet in her fucking skull.”
Immediately after receiving the call, staff at Omar’s office contacted the U.S. Capitol Police, Threat Assessment Section, who began investigating alongside the FBI, reports the Star-Gazette. According to the affidavit, Carlineo sounded angry on the phone, but still provided the spelling of his name and contact information. Authorities were able to track him down using the information he provided.
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Carlineo was questioned by the FBI on 29th March. According to the complaint, when questioned, he identified as a patriot and a Donald Trump supporter who hates radical Muslims in government. While he did not recall the exact words he said to Omar’s staff member, he did agree to the sentiment of the message the staffer reported. Omar is one of three Muslim members of Congress. She was elected during the 2018 midterms to represent Minnesota.
Authorities confirmed with Carlineo that he had a shotgun and a .22-caliber rifle at his home.
On 5th April, Carlineo was taken into custody. He made an initial appearance in court that same day and will be held awaiting a detention hearing on Wednesday, 10th April. Should he be convicted of making death threats against a government official, he could face a $250,000 (£191,635) fine, up to 10 years in prison, or both.