Avon man used 4chan to threaten white supremacists after Charlottesville, authorities say
Last year's turmoil in Charlottesville involving white supremacist demonstrators and so-called antifa activists has now swept up an Avon man who was arrested Friday.
Federal authorities say Eric Radulovic, 32, was upset about the August 2017 rally, which resulted in one death and ignited a political firestorm. Radulovic posed as a white supremacist online while threatening to harm those who planned to attend a similar rally the following weekend, according to a federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Users on an online message board, titled Politically Incorrect on 4chan.org, planned the controversial Boston Free Speech event for the following weekend to unite supporters of President Trump, conservatives, traditionalists and others, according to federal authorities. The goal was to "stand up against ANTIFA terrorism."
On that message board, the Indiana man pretended to be a white supremacist to make threats to white attendees at the rally, authorities say.
He wrote that he would fire a rifle at "alt-right guys" to drum up support for the movement, authorities say.
"We need sympathy after that landwhale got all the liberals teary eyed, so someone is going to have to make it look like the left is becoming more violent and radicalized," he wrote on 4chan, according to a press release. "It’s a false flag for sure, but I’ll be aiming for the more tanned/dark haired muddied jeans in the crowd so real whites won’t have to worry.”
Authorities said Radulovic hoped his message would be received as a threat.
Radulovic was indicted on one count of transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce a threat to injure the person of another, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Massachusetts.
If convicted, the charge carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
FBI's Boston office investigated the case, according to the press release, with help from the Indianapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Radulovic was set to appear in federal court in Indiana on Friday afternoon, the press release says. A hearing in Boston is scheduled for June 20.
