Elizabeth resident arrested for antisemitic threats against local public official
“Public discourse needs to change, because threats of violence are not acceptable in our society."
A resident of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, is facing federal charges for making antisemitic threats to injure a local public official, according to Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
Edward Arthur Owens Jr., 29, was arrested by FBI agents this week. Owens is accused of knowingly and willfully transmitting the following threat against a public official via a social media app, according to the criminal complaint: “We’re coming for you [emoji of person raising right hand] [German flag emoji] be afraid. Go back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble. 109 countries for a reason. We will not stop until your kind is nonexistent.”
The reference to “109 countries” is an antisemitic assertion that Jews have been expelled from 109 different countries and is “used by antisemites to call for the expulsion of Jews from other countries and otherwise to promote hatred,” Department of Justice officials said in a news release.
Prosecutors have filed a request for the Owens’ detention pending trial, saying that he is a danger to the community. A hearing on the government’s motion will be held June 5.
The public official who was the subject of the threats spoke with the Chronicle. For security reasons, they will not be identified by name.
They said that receiving the threatening message was particularly disturbing following the murder of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., when a gunman randomly shot people outside an American Jewish Committee event.
“I’m worried for my safety and for my family’s safety, and worried for people who work in this office,” the official said.
“It’s hard to know how these people will act, because on many levels, they’re totally irrational,” the official continued. “It is irrational to send a message like that to someone you’ve never met. It’s irrational to feel this way about anyone.”
The official stressed that a shift is needed in public discourse.
“Public discourse needs to change, because threats of violence are not acceptable in our society,” the official said. “Who wants to live in a country where people want to execute each other? And it’s happening, like at that AJC event — the perpetrator wanted to kill Jews. And, you know, he was successful. Who wants to live in a society where that happens?”
The official urged “progressive champions on the left and conservative champions on the right who can impact public thought on these topics” to use their voices to condemn acts of hate-fueled violence.
“If you are in a progressive echo chamber, or you are in a conservative echo chamber, and you don’t stand up against threats of violence against anybody — but this is clearly targeted to Jews — how do you look at yourself in the mirror?” PJC
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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