A Chicago man charged with threatening to “shoot up a synagogue” and targeting an Israeli government official was released on a $100,000 bond despite federal prosecutors’ objections, officials confirmed. Timothy Holmes, 31, was arrested in Florida on March 24 after allegedly posting threats on the social media platform X.
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The threat originated from a March 3 post responding to the official Israeli government X account regarding the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Holmes reportedly wrote, “I’m going to shoot up a synagogue,” according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Federal investigators found additional threatening content on Holmes’s X account during their probe, including anti-Semitic slogans such as “From the river to the sea every Jew will die” and “The jew will be destroyed and discarded.” Prosecutors also stated Holmes posted the Florida address of family members of an Israeli official and subsequently traveled to that state days later.
Holmes’s defense counsel claimed his trip to Florida was to care for a relative. The court released him under conditions including surrendering weapons, avoiding contact with victims or witnesses, restriction from social media, GPS monitoring, and travel limited to Northern Illinois and Middle District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros emphasized the office’s commitment to prosecuting anti-Semitic threats, stating authorities are using all legal tools available to hold perpetrators accountable. FBI Chicago Field Office Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas DePodesta highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts to detect and disrupt threats against the Jewish community.
Holmes’s X account was suspended for violating platform rules. His next federal court appearance in Chicago is pending scheduling.
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