A man has been charged with making threats against President Joe Biden’s life via the internet, The Associated Press reported.
Federal prosecutors claimed 58-year-old John Jacobs Ahrens of Tulsa, Oklahoma threatened to kill the president, along with members of Congress and their families, according to the Associated Press. Ahrens reportedly threatened the president and other prominent figures in emails sent to a local Tulsa television station, the Associated Press noted.
Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said Ahrens attempted to use the threats as a form of extortion.
“John Ahrens allegedly sent a series of emails to Newson6 threatening to murder the President, members of Congress, and their families if he did not receive money,” Johnson said in a statement.
Oklahoma man arrested for threatening President Biden and Congresshttps://t.co/3IifTLIghv pic.twitter.com/R4jzlggIwo
— KTEN News (@KTENnews) June 22, 2021
The Department of Justice news release claimed Ahrens sent a May 10, 2021 message that read, “Please go to my Facebook page and read what I sent to the men of the United States Congress. They have less than 48 hours to hand over my money or their children will start dying all over the country. I’m going to kill their children using the same law as the Government used to force our families on to the Trail of Tears.”
Ahrens claimed in another message, allegedly from June 17, that, “You have until Monday morning 8:00 am sharp to hand a check over to the State of Oklahoma, the Muscogee Nation and my family in accordance with a signed agreement as set forth in the Treaty of 1866.”
In other messages, according to the Department of Justice, Ahrens allegedly wrote, “America is going to get to see a sitting President get his head blown off right in front of them,” as well as, “your families will start dying. After that is over, I’m going to come back here one more time and tell you to hand over my money.” (RELATED: Former Teacher Allegedly Paid Hitman Nearly $18,000 In Bitcoin To Assassinate His Wife)
Authorities have not specified which lawmakers and their families were threatened beyond the president.
Last week, authorities arrested Ahrens at his Tulsa home, and has since allegedly admitted to sending the threatening emails to the local television station, according to the Associated Press. Court records, the Associated Press noted, did not specify whether or not Ahrens had an attorney that could speak on his behalf.
“The arrest and filing of criminal charges is the first step in holding individuals accountable for their alleged actions,” Johnson added in his statement.