A Florida man has been charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after sending chilling messages on the internet, threatening a mass casualty event.
Alexander Lightner, 26, Venice, FL, has been charged with interstate transmission of a threat to injure and unlawful possession of a silencer.
Lightner faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison if convicted on all counts.
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According to the DOJ, on December 29, 2023, Lightner made the following threats on an internet messaging platform indicating his intention to carry out a mass shooting:
- “2024 there shall be saints u fuq”
- “Highscore shall be defeated”
- “I’ll delete this, but I say to you there is no surrender only death. Only purpose”
- “When my @ says last seen a week ago remove me from everything.”
- “It’s called a .308 black tip.”
- “Those that know me know. It’s over, you have not seen the wrath of the Aryan that has no purpose left.”
According to officials in the racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist (“RMVE”) community, a “saint” is an individual who commits an act of mass violence in furtherance of RMVE ideology, and the term “high score” refers to the death toll amassed by an attacker, or saint, who commits an act of mass violence.
Federal authorities executed a search warrant at Lightner’s home. During the search, agents discovered an unregistered firearm silencer, ammunition, and several firearms in Lightner’s bedroom
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An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
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