Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says she was a target in a recent plot to kill Jewish elected officials in the state.
An unsealed criminal case revealed the FBI tracked down and arrested a heavily-armed man who threatened to kill all Jewish elected officials in Michigan on social media back in February.
Jack Eugene Carpenter III from Tipton, MI tweeted on Feb. 17 that he was “heading back to Michigan now threatening to carry out the punishment of death to anyone that is jewish in the Michigan govt if they don’t leave, or confess.” Michigan has several prominent Jewish officials. The FBI says he posted several paranoid manifestos about Jewish people.
Carter claimed to be a former employee of the University of Michigan who “was fired for refusing to take experimental medication.” U of M has confirmed he worked there for 10 years and was let go in 2021.
Federal agents say Carpenter had previously been arrested on assault charges, stealing one of his handguns from his girlfriend. His mother told authorities he had several firearms including three handguns, a 12-gauge shotgun and a military-style hunting rifle.
According to the FBI, Carpenter was in Texas when he sent the tweets. He’s charged with making a threat across states and faces up to five years in federal prison. He’s being held without bail.
Michigan has seen a surge in domestic terrorism cases in recent years, most notably the plot to kidnap and kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.