Chicago man charged with threatening to 'shoot up' synagogue

CHICAGO - A Chicago man was charged with threatening online to "shoot up" a Jewish synagogue.

Prosecutors alleged Timothy Holmes, 31, posted on X on March 3, "I’m going to shoot up a synagogue," according to a criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Illinois. The post was made in response to a message from the Israeli government’s official account, authorities said.

The FBI said its National Threat Operations Section received information about the threat, which was made from an account identified as belonging to Holmes.

Investigators said they later found additional posts from the account that included threatening language and derogatory remarks about Jewish people, as well as a post listing the purported U.S. address of relatives of an Israeli official.

Holmes was charged with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person. He was arrested Wednesday in Florida and appeared the same day in federal court, where a judge ordered his release on a $100,000 bond over the government’s objection.

As part of the conditions of his release, Holmes is barred from possessing weapons, contacting victims or witnesses, or using social media platforms. He is also subject to GPS monitoring and restrictions on his travel between the Northern District of Illinois and the Middle District of Florida. A date for his appearance in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

If convicted, Holmes could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in federal prison.

What they're saying:

"Anti-Semitism has no place in our society," U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros said in a statement.  "The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago is using all available legal tools to combat criminal conduct that rears its head in hateful anti-Semitism.  This Administration has made clear that threats and violence against the Jewish community will not be tolerated."