The US Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Kevin G. Ritz, announced on Friday that a man has been charged with making threats against President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama on social media. According to Ritz’s office, Kyl Alton Hall issued a series of threats on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 27. Hall’s threats included plans to “kill, assassinate, shoot, and crash the plane” of President Biden, as well as assassinate Vice President Harris and former President Obama.
Hall has been charged with two counts of making threats against a current president and vice president under 18 USC §871(a) and one count of threatening a former president under 18 USC §879(a)(1). If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Hall’s parents have stated that he has struggled with mental health issues throughout his life, with recent behavior becoming increasingly “bizarre.” His mother believes he is schizophrenic and has been hearing voices from Biden and Obama. Due to concerns over his mental state, Hall’s parents have decided not to bail him out of jail, fearing he may “snap” again.
The timing of the charges coincides with the closing of the Democratic National Convention, where President Biden, Vice President Harris, and former President Obama all spoke ahead of the upcoming November presidential election. Vice President Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night, following Biden’s prior announcement to end his presidential campaign.
Recent months have seen a spike in threats against politicians and election officials as the nation gears up for the November elections. In July, an Alabama man pleaded guilty to sending threatening messages to election workers in Arizona. The same month, a Kentucky man pleaded guilty to shooting at the Louisville mayor. Most recently, an Arizona man was arrested for threatening to kill former President Donald Trump on social media.
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