On Friday, a man was taken into custody in Massachusetts on the suspicion that he had made an internet bomb threat to an election worker working in the office of the Secretary of State in Arizona.
James Clark, age 38, is accused of making the threat on or around February 14, 2021, using the contact form on the Arizona Secretary of State website, which was directed toward an election official.
Massachusetts man arrested after allegedly making bomb threat to Arizona election official: DOJ https://t.co/b3Ex9QdkSd
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According to the Department of Justice, Clark stated that the attorney general had to “resign” or a bomb would be detonated in the office of the election official on February 16, 2021. This information was obtained from Clark.
“Your attorney general needs to quit on Tuesday, February 16th by 9 am, or the explosive device hit in her personal space will be detonated,” the message stated, according to the DOJ.
According to the indictment, Clark is also accused of conducting online searches for terms such as “how to kill” the election official, “FEMA Boston marathon bombing,” and “FEMA Boston marathon bombing plan digital army.” In addition, the indictment states that Clark conducted online searches for “how to kill” the election official.
He was charged with one crime of transmitting an interstate threat, one count of making a bomb threat, and one count of committing a hoax involving a bomb.
If Clark is found guilty of making a bomb threat, the maximum punishment he might receive is ten years in jail. If he is also found guilty of hoaxing a device or conveying an interstate threat, he may receive an additional five years in prison for each count.
According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., this situation endangered election workers.
According to Polite, Jr., “illegal threats of violence put election officials and workers in danger and weaken the core of our democracy: free and fair elections.” “Our Election Threats Task Force, in collaboration with partners around the country, will continue to investigate and prosecute illegal threats like these with zeal to hold responsible those who endanger our democracy,”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the issue at this time.
