US Man Arrested For Racist Threats To Kill Congressional Democrats, Including Omar
25 April 2019Islamophobia, The
United States
A man in the state of Florida was arrested by authorities after making
threatening comments to multiple congressional Democrats, including Ilhan
Omar, who he called a "Taliban [expletive]," according to multiple reports.
John Kless, 49, reportedly called the offices of lawmakers Eric Swalwell,
Rashida Tlaib and Senator Cory Booker. Kless left voicemails at all three
offices in which he attacked Omar using Islamophobic rhetoric.
"It was your Taliban b***h, the one who opened up her f***ing towel head mouth
about how 'some people did it,' " authorities said Kless conveyed in his
message to Tlaib, according to a court records submitted Thursday obtained by
The Hill.
The Democrat from Minnesota, along with Michigan's Tlaib, is one of the first
two Muslim women elected to Congress, and has faced a flurry of attacks since
taking office this year.
"You know what? She's lucky she's just getting death threats, b***h. So are
you. All right? You're lucky they're just threats. Motherf***er. 'Cuz the day
when the bell tolls, [expletive], and this country comes to a war, there will
be no more threats. Your life will be on the f***ing line," Kless was alleged
to have said.
"There's people like me out there, millions and millions of us who hate you
motherf***ers, man, for what you done on 9/11, I blame all of you, because all
of you had a f***ing part in on it."
Last Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted a video of a speech delivered
by Omar, referencing the congresswoman's "some people did something" comments
that were made in discussing how Muslims should not be treated as second-class
citizens because of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Many critics, however, focused on her use of the phrase "some people did
something," suggesting she downplayed the attacks.
The president's tweet mixed in footage from the attacks with parts of the
speech.
The Muslim congresswoman said she has faced more death threats since the
president posted the tweet, sparking criticism that Trump is condoning harmful
attacks against the country's own elected officials.
Nancy Pelosi, the House's top Democrat, said Sunday she contacted Capitol Hill
security to ensure Omar's safety after the president's comments.
California man faces FBI hate crime probe after hitting pedestrians he thought
were Muslim
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened a hate crime probe into an
army veteran who rammed his car into pedestrians in Sunnyvale, California,
because he thought they were Muslims.
The attack happened on Tuesday and left eight people injured. The most
seriously injured of the eight is a 13-year-old Sunnyvale girl who is of South
Asian descent. She remains in critical condition and is in a coma, with part
of her skull removed to relieve pressure.
The driver, identified as Isaiah Joel Peoples, 34, "intentionally targeted the
victims based on their race and his belief that they were of the Muslim
faith," said Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety on Friday.
Peoples, who was arrested at the scene, is charged with eight counts of
attempted murder.
The FBI confirmed Saturday that the incident is being investigated as a
federal hate crime, an action lauded by Sunnyvale's Muslim community.
"It sends a strong message from the perspective of the federal government that
they are going to take a stand against violence that is potentially motivated
by bias," the special counsel for anti-Muslim bigotry for Muslim Advocates,
Madihha Ahussain, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
"We hope that they will pursue a robust investigation... and we hope that they
will see it through the end," she added.
Peoples was ordered held without bail at his first appearance in court Friday,
according to the Chronicle.
The former U.S. Army sharpshooter and Iraq War veteran did not enter a plea
Friday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
"The defendant said nothing during the brief appearance in Judge Richard
Loftus' courtroom at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose," the
Chronicle said.
Prosecutors have not filed hate crime charges in the case, but such charges
would be filed so "if the investigation yields enough evidence," chief
assistant district attorney Jay Borarsky told the newspaper.
"There is very appalling, disturbing evidence that at least one or two of
these victims were targeted based on the defendant's view of what their race
or religion may have been," he said. "We have zero tolerance for any sort of
hate crime."
The newspaper said Chuck Smith, Peoples' attorney, disputed the accusations
and said his client did not intentionally run down anyone. Smith said the
crash was the act of a mental disorder or defect.
Four people remain hospitalized, including 51-year-old Ping Lu, who has
multiple broken limbs. Also hospitalized is 32-year-old Marina Reimler, with a
broken leg and arm.
Muslims in the U.S. were the target of nearly 19% of religiously motivated
hate crimes, according to FBI data released in 2018.
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