SMH: New York Man Charged With Threatening To Kill Ilhan Omar

Source: Mark Wilson / Getty

A Man Has Been Charged With Threatening To Kill Ilhan Omar

A New York man has been charged with threatening to kill one of the first Muslim women to serve in the US Congress, Ilhan Omar.

Patrick Carlineo Jr was arrested after placing a call to Omar’s office, in which he allegedly called the congresswoman a “terrorist” before threatening to shoot her, federal prosecutors said. According to the FBI, the 55-year-old sounded angry during the call to the Washington DC office of the Minnesota representative, but he “spelled his name correctly and provided contact information” to a staffer.

Mr Carlineo later told bureau investigators that he “loves the president and that he hates radical Muslims in our government,” according to the criminal complaint filed by US Attorney’s Office in the Western District of New York. During the call the 55-year-old allegedly said: “Do you work for the Muslim Brotherhood? Why are you working for her, she’s a (expletive) terrorist? I’ll put a bullet in her (expletive) skull.”

The 21 March call was initially reported to the US Capitol Police, who began an investigation in coordination with the FBI. The prosecutor’s office said Mr Carlineo had been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with threatening to assault and murder a US official and he is being held pending a detention hearing on April 10. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Ilhan Omar became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress at last year’s midterms, joining the House of Representatives in January.