A Texas man made threats against members of the LGBTQ movement as payback for the assassination of conservative Charlie Kirk, police said.
Joshua Cole from Anson posted the threats on a Facebook page related to the Abilene Pride Parade & Festival, according to court documents.
‘Theres only like 30 of em we can send a clear message to the rest of them.’
“I say we lock and load and pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk,” one comment reads.
He allegedly added, “Theres only like 30 of em we can send a clear message to the rest of them.”
Federal agents tried to contact Cole on Sept. 19 a day after Abilene police were tipped off about the threats. His employer told investigators that he had just quit his job and stormed out of the building. His fellow employees reportedly described him as a “hothead.”
Cole was arrested after a traffic stop the day before the festival.
RELATED: 19-year-old posted social media threat to attack Charlie Kirk vigil, police say
Court documents argued that the threats were real because they were specific and not conditional in nature.
“The threats were also specific to a particular set of victims: people participating in the gay pride parade tomorrow,” prosecutors wrote. “With this level of specificity, [Cole’s] comments were not mere idle of [sic] careless talk, exaggeration, or something said in only a joking manner.”
He allegedly said that he did not plan to harm the parade-goers but admitted that his statements could be taken as threats.
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