Freelance reporter charged after threatening to kill pro-Israel US officials

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A freelance reporter based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, faces up to five years in prison after allegedly threatening to “kill every Jew in the city” and “shoot every pro-Israel U.S. government official,” according to a federal affidavit. in court last week.

Jeffrey Stevens, 41, is charged with posting threats via interstate communications, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. According to the affidavit, he was first reported to the FBI after “multiple posts on Facebook” following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

In an interview with the FBI on Feb. 2, Stevens admitted to posting on the CIA website that he was going to shoot pro-Israel U.S. government officials, the affidavit said. He also admitted to sending Fort Wayne police a message on Facebook saying he would “kill every Jew.”

He said during the interview that he was drunk when he posted the messages, the affidavit said.

Stevens also reportedly posted that he “will ensure that every CIA member who is pro-Israel is eliminated.”

The Detroit News first reported the affidavit Monday.

The affidavit was filed Feb. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Stevens was arrested last week and will remain in custody, according to a Feb. 16 order from a federal judge.

Stevens’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A survey released Tuesday by the American Jewish Committee found that a quarter of American Jews say they have been the target of anti-Semitism in the past year. The national survey found that nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less safe in the U.S. than they did a year ago.