A 30-year-old individual from Dover, New Hampshire, named Tyler Anderson, has been apprehended and charged in connection with issuing death threats against Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and attendees of his campaign event, as revealed by the US attorney's office in New Hampshire.
The arrest, made on Saturday, came after Anderson was charged with transmitting a threat to injure Ramaswamy through interstate commerce. The US attorney's office disclosed that the threats were made in response to a text message sent by Ramaswamy's campaign on Friday, notifying voters, including Anderson, about an upcoming campaign event in Portsmouth.
According to an FBI affidavit, Anderson responded to the message with alarming threats, stating, "Great, another opportunity for me to blow his brains out!" He further added, "I’m going to kill everyone who attends," accompanied by explicit details about what he intended to do with the bodies.
Although the statement from the US attorney's office did not explicitly mention the targeted presidential campaign, Ramaswamy's team confirmed that he was indeed the focus of the threats. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy's campaign, expressed gratitude for law enforcement's swift response and professionalism in handling the matter, emphasizing prayers for the safety of all Americans.
In a subsequent statement, Ramaswamy's staff criticized the news media, "deranged voices," and "left-wing cranks," accusing these groups of inciting violence against Republicans leading up to the 2024 presidential elections.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and Republican presidential candidate, expressed gratitude to law enforcement and confidence in the security measures in place. He refrained from specifying when he became aware of the alleged death threat and whether he would increase his security.
Ramaswamy's staff reported the threatening text messages to authorities, leading to law enforcement officials searching Anderson's residence on Saturday, arresting him, and confiscating his phone and firearms. During the search of Anderson's phone, authorities discovered the threatening texts to Ramaswamy in a deleted folder, along with additional threatening messages to another candidate.
The affidavit revealed that Anderson admitted to sending the threatening messages to Ramaswamy and confirmed sending similar threats to other campaigns. Despite the threats, Ramaswamy proceeded with the campaign event in Portsmouth on Monday.
If convicted, Anderson could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of USD 250,000.
Recent surveys, including one by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, have indicated an increase in threats of violence against politicians, with 47 percent of former members of Congress reporting receiving threats while in office. Notably, women and people of color reported higher rates of threats, emphasizing the urgency of addressing these issues.
