Indiana freelance reporter charged after threatening to kill pro-Israel U.S. officials

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A freelance reporter based in Fort Wayne, Indiana is facing up to five years in federal 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 filed in court last week.

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

In an interview with the FBI on Feb. 2, Stevens admitted to posting on the CIA’s website that he was going to shoot pro-Israel U.S. government officials, according to the affidavit. He also admitted to sending the Fort Wayne Police Department 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 says.

Stevens is also alleged to have posted that he will “make sure that every CIA member who is pro-Israel is eliminated.”

The Detroit News first reported the affidavit Monday.

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

Stevens was arrested last week and will remain in custody, according to an 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 one quarter of American Jews said they have been the target of antisemitism in the past year. The national survey found that nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago.