A Washington state man is facing charges after allegedly threatening to kill “Police Officer D.W.” in a Facebook post, Talking Points Memo reports.
Jaleel Tariq Abdul-Jabbaar used only initials when expressing the alleged threat, but the criminal complaint filed against him claims that the threats “relate to the widely publicized events of Aug. 9, 2014, during which officer D.W. fatally shot Michael Brown,” the site notes.
“Are there any REAL BLACK MEN that would love to go down to Ferguson Missouri to give back those bullets that Police Officer [D.W.] fired into the body of Mike Brown. If we’re unable to locate Officer [D.W.] then We’ll return them to his wife and if not her then his children,” read one of the threats cited, which was posted on Nov. 11, according to TPM.
Abdul-Jabbaar also tried to get a firearm, the complaint asserts, pointing to “additional Facebook records.” Owning a firearm would be prohibited because the 46-year-old is a convicted felon, according to TPM.
The federal prosecutor for the Western District of Washington is taking the threats seriously and notes that although people have the right to speak out on issues, violence is not protected by the First Amendment. “We are fortunate to live in a country where the right to speak out about current events and disagree with our government is protected by the highest law of the land. Our freedom of speech does not, however, extend to making threats to kill or injure law enforcement officers,” acting U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes said in a statement. “Although we each have the right to express our views about the decision reached by the state grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, we cannot tolerate violence or threats of violence that are intended to intimidate, and ultimately silence debate. Such threats are crimes, and the individuals who make them must be held to account.”
As TPM notes, Abdul-Jabbaar could be facing up to five years in prison if convicted of making interstate threats.
Read more at Talking Points Memo.