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From left: Lone Star Pride flag; People attend a Charlie Kirk memorial rally by Turning Point UK in London.
"I say we lock and load and pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk," Joshua Cole wrote on Facebook.
A Texas man has been arrested after being accused of threatening violence against a Pride parade as retribution for right-wing activist Charlie Klrk’s assassination.
Joshua Cole of Anson has admitted to writing a Facebook comment threatening the Abilene Pride Parade and Festival, local and national media report. Using the name Jay Dubya, he posted on September 18, “Fk their parade, I say we lock and load and pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk,” according to police reports cited by The Guardian and several TV outlets.
Related: Missouri LGBTQ+ center receives threat but will carry on with Pride event
Kirk was shot to death September 10 during a speaking engagement in Utah. There is no evidence tying the accused shooter, Tyler Robinson, to LGBTQ+ groups or other liberal groups. Robinson did object to some of Kirk’s anti-LGBTQ+ views, his family members have said.
Cole also wrote, “Theres only like 30 of em we can send a clear message to the rest of them,” and “come on bro let’s go hunting fairies,” according to the police report.
Abilene police notified the FBI’s field office in Dallas. FBI Special Agent Samuel Venuti tried to contact Cole at his workplace but found Cole has recently “stormed out of the facility in anger” and “just quit,” says an affidavit filed by Venuti September 19 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The police and Venuti then caught up with Cole during a traffic stop.
Cole admitted to making the comments and said a reasonable person could interpret them as a threat, Venuti wrote in the affidavit. Cole said he thought the Pride event should not be allowed, but he “denied that he was going to take action or shoot parade participants,” the affidavit says.
“There is probable cause to believe that [Cole}, with the specific intent to threaten harm or bodily injury, used an electronic communication service or electronic communication system of interstate commerce, or any other facility of interstate or foreign commerce, to transmit a threat to injure the person of another,” in violation of federal law, Venuti concluded.
Cole was taken to the Taylor County Jail in Abilene September 19. He was released last Wednesday, CBS News reports, but the following day a judge ordered that he be held pending trial because of his record and because he posed a threat to others. He had been charged with making a terroristic threat in 2019.
The Pride event went on as scheduled September 20. The Abilene Pride Alliance received $4,000 in donations to strengthen security for the parade and festival, the organization posted on Facebook.
“We want to reassure our community that the safety of everyone at Pride has always been, and will continue to be our top priority,” the group posted. “The swift action and continued diligence of APD and federal partners reflect their commitment to protecting our city and ensuring that Pride remains a safe, inclusive and celebratory space for all.”
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