FBI Arrests Indiana Man Over Repeated Threats ‘Kill Every Jew’ In The Area, But Jewish Community Was Not Alerted To Threat

The following report is by The Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA):

The suspect, 41-year-old Jeffrey Stevens, admitted in interviews that he had posted violent antisemitic threats directly to the website of the CIA, as well as in a Facebook direct message to the Fort Wayne Police Department, according to a newly released affidavit. 

Stevens also wrote to the CIA, “I am going to shoot every pro-Israel US government official in the head,” and boasted of having “strong Palestinian, Hezbollah, and Iranian contacts.” 

He is charged with communicating a threat in interstate commerce and faces a maximum of five years in prison.

The arrest on Tuesday came amid reports of rising antisemitism in the United States as the Israel-Hamas war extends into its fifth month. Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, American Jews have been attacked on college campuses, in their homes and on the way to synagogue, and one Jewish man in Los Angeles died after an altercation at a street protest. In that time, the FBI has made other arrests in connection with antisemitism.

Stevens told officials he had a “drinking problem,” according to the affidavit. He wrote the posts, including one reading “Death to the Zionist,” following Oct. 7, but also posted some Israel-related material from other social media accounts prior to the attacks.

As news of the arrest emerged, Jewish leaders wondered why they had not been warned of Stevens’ intentions, despite the fact that he sent his threats directly to law enforcement months ago. 

“We only found out about this two days ago and the whole incident occurred in November,” Jaki Schreier, executive director of the local Jewish federation, wrote to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an email. “We are NOT HAPPY to say the least.”

Fort Wayne, the second-largest city in Indiana, currently has around 450 Jewish families among its approximately 250,000 residents, according to the federation. Schreier said she would be meeting soon with the Secure Community Network, a nonprofit that coordinates security for American Jewish institutions, to discuss why the Jewish community was not told sooner of the threat. The SCN itself praised the arrest in a statement.

The offender in this case made threats to the Jewish community of Fort Wayne as well as to the dedicated members of our law enforcement and intelligence communities. This arrest highlights the potential spillover of international tensions into our own backyards and sends a clear message that our law enforcement partners continue to mitigate threats before they cause harm, especially amid rising Jew-hate.

Michael Masters, SCN’s national director and CEO, said in the statement.

Also this week, the FBI reportedly found antisemitic material at the home of a woman who recently opened fire at a Houston megachurch, wounding one person before she was shot and killed by off-duty officers. Authorities found a painting with the message “Death to Jews” at the shooter’s home, her former mother-in-law, a self-professed Jewish Universalist rabbi, told the Forward. The shooter, who is thought to have been suffering from mental illness, brought her 7-year-old son with her to the church. He was shot in the head and critically injured.

Since Oct. 7, authorities have also arrested a Jewish man who threatened to kill Palestinians; and anti-Palestinian attackers have killed a 6-year-old boy in Illinois and shot and wounded college students in Vermont.

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AUTHOR COMMENTARY

[6] And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. [13] And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

Esther 3:6, 13

As many of you have probably seen online (I know I certainly have, daily now), the vitriol for Jews in general is at an time high, and is only set to get worse the more the war in Gaza persists, and if they start attacking other surrounding nations; topped off with the U.S. pouring gas of the fire on purpose, which only result in more Israelis and Jews killed, and many others around the world – which is by design…

If the U.S. economy was stronger and people still had the illusion of wealth and prosperity, they would not care what is going on around the world, and the bloodcurdling terror and immense destruction the U.S. brings, in the name of “teaching democracy” and “bringing freedom to the oppressed.” But since Americans are broke and the country is imploding, the people are looking for someone or something to blame; and the Jews are increasingly getting that blame.

Therefore, more excitement and open violence towards Jews throughout the Western worlds will radically intensify. If you are a Jew, keep your head down and be cautious where you travel. The same applies for allies of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.

As Romans 11:28 clearly states: “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.” The Jews as a whole, who routinely cause the word of God to be blasphemed (Romans 2:17-29) in many more ways than one – God will eventually redeem the remnant of the nation of Israel at the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30), but not before a lot of them will end up dead, and I reckon many of them will perish before the body of Christ is called out and resurrected. Having said that, by simply taking a stand for what the King James Bible text plainly states, will cause persecution to come upon you too, so you best be prayed up and be ready to take a stand, but still be cautious about you say and where, because the times we are heading into will be rocky to say the least.

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[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

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