Federal officials arrested a San Francisco Bay Area man Sept. 4 for allegedly sending violent threats to a U.S. congresswoman and a Florida state legislator, according to U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey based in San Jose, California.
Authorities say Aaditya Chand, 22, of Palo Alto, about 34 miles south of San Francisco, sent chilling messages to the two lawmakers threatening to shoot them and their staff.
Chand was charged with a felony for allegedly transmitting in interstate or foreign commerce a communication threatening to injure a person, according to federal prosecutors.
Authorities said Chand used his Instagram account to send a direct message to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Officials did not disclose the name of the congresswoman who was targeted.
Federal prosecutors say Chand wrote: “I’m gonna shoot up ur office tomorrow u Palestinian scum,” and “Get Ready.”
The court complaint alleges the messages were received by the congresswoman’s staff in Washington.
Officials also say Chand allegedly used his Instagram account to send another direct message to a Florida state representative, who was not named by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Federal agents read Chand’s alleged Instagram messages to the state lawmaker during an interview with Chand.
The Instagram message allegedly said, “I’m gonna bring a gun to ur office tomorrow and shoot u and ur staff.”
If convicted, Chand faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment.
He may also be ordered to pay restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by special assistant U.S. Attorney Johnny James, with help from Susan Kreider, and is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police.
It’s one of many threat cases reported recently against public officials, according to data from the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center.
Threats were most commonly made against members of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement officers and judges. The second most-targeted group were elected officials and those who run or manage elections, according to the report.
The data indicate “a greater willingness nationally to threaten public officials,” according to researchers Pete Simi of Chapman University and Seamus Hughes of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
