Other posts were more explicit, saying, “I’m just going to say that. [Attorney General Merrick] Garland must be assassinated. It’s simple.” Another user posted, “Kill all feeds.”
The user also encouraged others to post the address of the judge who supposedly approved the search warrant. “You can see the rope around his neck,” wrote a comment below the judge’s photo.
Among the users who took part in the forum on Monday night were convicted U.S. Capitol mobs.
One reply to the top-rated “lock and load” post came from an account with the username bananaguard62, who asked, “Isn’t the civil war a cold war at this point?”
Advance Democracy, a non-partisan non-profit organization that conducts public interest research, combed through bananguard62’s posts and identified Tyler Welsh Slaeker as running the account.
Slaker was indicted by the Justice Department last summer in connection with the January 6 attacks. According to court filings, Slaker’s in-laws reported to his FBI that he was in the Capitol and he was one of many of his January 6 mobsters filed by his family. became a person
He was initially charged with four nonviolent misdemeanor counts and pleaded guilty to one count of entering a closed building in June. His sentencing is scheduled for November.
It can be difficult to distinguish between the hollow and serious threats of online violence, but they cannot be ignored, says a former U.S. Senate investigator who led an investigation into the CIA’s use of torture. said Daniel J. Jones, who now runs Advance Democracy, a non-profit organization. – A partisan non-profit organization that conducts public interest research.
“We are witnessing conspiratorial rhetoric by elected officials, political leaders and political entertainers fueling real-world violence,” Jones said. “Conspiratorial and divisive rhetoric from elected officials and those who should know better continues to undermine our institutions and democracies at alarming rates.”
Shortly after news of the search warrant was released Monday night, a congressional security official told CNN that the U.S. Capitol Police had begun discussions about monitoring and planning potential violent rhetoric. .
Of particular concern is the potential for violence to be directed against members of Congress and other federal law enforcement agencies.
Capitol Police declined to comment on the security plan.
One post CNN found called for violence against an FBI agent. The FBI declined to comment on the post or broader security concerns due to violent rhetoric.
After the Jan. 6 attacks, alternative social media platforms became popular among Trump supporters as companies like Facebook and Twitter banned Trump and other celebrities who spread election conspiracy theories.
But stories of violence aren’t just for the more straightforward platforms.
Jones, whose group Advance Democracy has been tracking online threats since the FBI raided Monday, said political leaders posting on major social media accounts were fueling more violent rhetoric. rice field.
“The attacks on the Capitol on January 6 showed that online calls for political violence cannot be ignored, no matter how radical the theories behind the calls for violence.” Jones said.
CNN’s Whitney Wilde and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com
