A California man who used to live in Charlottesville has been charged with threatening to bomb Charlottesville city school buildings.
Lucas Isaiah Newton-Grant, 27, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., was arrested Wednesday morning and charged via a federal criminal complaint with one count of communicating interstate threats.
Newton-Grant appeared before a magistrate judge in California late Wednesday evening. He will now be transported to the Western District of Virginia for additional court proceedings.
According to court documents, on July 7, as Charlottesville City Schools were discussing re-opening plans for the fall, Newton-Grant, using the Facebook screenname, “Lucas Newton-Grant” threatened to become the next “serialbomber” and wanting to “blow those building up.”
After being warned by someone online about making threatening comments, Newton-Grant responded, “I want them to come after me. They’ll be in for a pleasant surprise.”
He further posted that “people will (expletive) die.”
The investigation of the case is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald M. Huber is prosecuting the case for the United States.
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AFP
