Chicago Man Charged: Synagogue Threat After Iran Leader’s Death

A Chicago man has been charged with threatening to attack a synagogue following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to federal prosecutors.

Timothy Holmes, 31, was initially arrested in Florida last Wednesday and appeared before a magistrate judge in Fort Myers, CBS News reported. He faces charges in Illinois related to the alleged threat made against a Chicago-area synagogue. The threat was intended as retribution for the killing of Khamenei in an Israeli airstrike, according to court documents.

Prosecutors allege that on March 3rd, Holmes posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I will shoot up a synagogue” in response to a post from the official Israeli government account announcing Khamenei’s death. The FBI subsequently uncovered additional online threats made by Holmes, including the sharing of a U.S. Address belonging to a relative of an unnamed Israeli official, accompanied by the messages: “The Jew will be destroyed and disposed of” and “From the river to the sea, every Jew will die,” according to court filings.

Magistrate Judge Nicholas Mizell in Fort Myers set bail at $100,000 and ordered Holmes to be placed on electronic monitoring. A date for his next court appearance in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

Despite the charges, Holmes was released from custody in Florida on Monday and was not transferred to Chicago, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.