US Department of Justice accuses white supremacist after threats to parliamentarian, Muslims and transgender people

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - A man who calls himself a white supremacist in Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury after threatening violence against members of Congress, Muslims, transgender people and Democrats, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Friday.

See details:

- The 12-count indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, named Robert Hlovchiec, 32, as the sole defendant, the Justice Department said in a statement, which did not identify the member of Congress.

- Between February and March, Hlovchiec posted comments on YouTube videos in which he threatened violence against a member of Congress, Democrats and progressives, transgender people, and various minority groups, such as Muslims, the DOJ said.

- "If I get the chance, I will do a mass shooting wherever (the member of Congress) is. (The member of Congress) needs to die... The United States is not for sale. The United States is not a Muslim country," he said in his threats, according to the DOJ.

- "If I get the chance, I will shoot everyone in the (Member of Congress) family. The United States is a white Christian nation. We are ready to kill and die before foreign Muslims take over," he said, according to the DOJ.

- A federal grand jury indicted Hlovchiec on "charges of interstate threats and influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official through threats," the DOJ said.

- Hlovchiec identified as a Nazi and white supremacist and expressed desires to carry out mass shootings and murders, the agency added.

- A representative for the defendant could not immediately be reached for comment.

- Human rights advocates in the US have observed a rise in Islamophobia over the past two decades, following the September 11, 2001 attacks and, more recently, due to anti-immigration policies, white supremacy and the fallout from Israel's war in Gaza.

- US political experts, in turn, separately warned about political violence resulting from growing polarization.

Source: Antena 1