A 76-year-old man is accused of threatening to injure and kill six U.S. Supreme Court justices and their family members.
Panos Anastasiou of Alaska was charged this week with nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce.
The Department of Justice alleges Anastasiou began sending messages in January. Some of the messages contained threats of "assassination by torture, hanging, and firearms," as well as racist and homophobic rhetoric, according to the DOJ.
In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the defendant made the threats because of decisions the court made that he disagreed with.
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“Our justice system depends on the ability of judges to make their decisions based on the law, and not on fear. Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families," Garland stated.
The arrest comes at a time of heightened political tensions in the country. Former President Donald Trump was the victim of an apparent assassination attempt on Sunday.
Authorities believe Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, pointed a high-powered rifle through a fence near where Trump was playing golf at his club in Florida on Sunday. The Secret Service said Routh never got a shot off and didn't have a line of sight of the former president. After fleeing the scene, he was arrested a short time later after being pulled over on I-95.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have condemned political violence.
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