Palo Alto Man Cuffed for Chilling Threats Against U.S. Congresswoman and Florida State Rep

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the current status of the legal case described below.

A 22-year-old man from Palo Alto has been taken into custody for making violent threats against two political figures, a U.S. Congresswoman and a Florida State Representative. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that the accused, Aaditya Chand, was arrested following a federal criminal complaint that became public today.

The complaint details an instance on February 15 where Chand is alleged to have used Instagram to send threatening messages to the members of Congress. One message, aimed at Victim 1, read, "I'm gonna shoot up ur office tomorrow u Palestinian scum," another warned, "Get ready." The staff of the U.S. House Representative in Washington, D.C, purportedly received these messages. In a seeming attempt to further escalate the situation, Chand is also accused of specifically threatening a Florida State Representative, referred to as Victim 2, via another Instagram Direct message stating, "I'm gonna bring a gun to ur office tomorrow and shoot u and ur staff." The U.S. Department of Justice announced that federal agents saw the messages during an interview with Chand.

Charged with the serious felony of transmitting a threat to injure a person across state or international lines, Chand faced significant legal consequences, including a maximum of five years in prison. Announced by U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey and Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, the case against Chand underscored the collaborative effort in pursuing threats against public officials.

Details from the federal court indicate that Chand was scheduled for an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen, where the formal proceedings commenced. The charges against Chand under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c) were subsequently dismissed on November 3, 2025, following his successful completion of a pretrial diversion agreement.