Brad Houck from Oklahoma made death threats on social media against several public officials, using sites such as Facebook and Parler.
Mr Houck posted numerous threatening messages on Parler in the lead up to and after the Capitol riot on 6 January, one of which was directed at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mr Houck wrote: “Hey Mitch, how are your grandkids doing?”
An FBI affidavit said that a detective for the Moore, Oklahoma police department contacted federal investigators to inform them of complaints the department had received about Mr Houck’s Parler account, KOCO-TV reporter Dillon Richards reported.
Federal agents in Oklahoma City contacted the city’s police department and were sent more screenshots of Mr Houck’s posts, one of which threatened Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts. Mr Houck wrote on 3 January: “Hey Justice Roberts, we are coming for you and your illegal adopted kids!! Finished! They will get to watch you hang.”
The FBI got a warrant and travelled to Mr Houck’s home. After announcing their arrival by loudspeaker several times to no response, they finally made verbal contact with Mr Houck after breaching a window. Mr Houck went further back into the house, according to the FBI criminal complaint.
Mr Houck finally exited his home while smoking a cigarette, asking if this was about “the posts”. Despite being told to raise his hands, Mr Houck kept them down, telling agents to come to him. He eventually approached the agents.
According to the FBI, they found 24 guns along with thousands of rounds of ammunition in Mr Houck’s home. They also located almost $4,800 in cash and several “personal electronic devices”.
Mr Houck further threatened former President George W Bush, posting on 6 December 2020: “GWB is a dead man… we will find you georgie boy.”
On 24 December 2020, Mr Houck issued a different threat against Chief Justice Roberts, writing: “Supreme Court justices are appointed for life… You give us only one way to remove treasonous judges… death! It’s coming John Roberts!”
He also threatened Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, and Republican Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, among others.
Mr Houck posted on 22 December 2020: “We must storm that Capitol and remove these people by force!”
Mr Houck was ordered detained by Magistrate Judge Amanda Maxfield Green until his hearing on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
According to the Criminal Complaint by the FBI, Mr Houck bragged to people about being banned from Facebook and Parler for his posts. Showing the posts to his wife, the FBI said that she thought that they were not acceptable, but that her husband had not been to Washington, DC on 6 January, the day of the Capitol riot.
