A Georgia man has been charged with sending a threatening letter to a spiritual mission in the West Chicago suburb, raising alarms within the Sant Nirankari Mission community. Jimil Parmar, 33, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, faces accusations of having mailed a communication that authorities found menacing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.
Arrested last week, Parmar must now confront the legal system with a preliminary hearing marked for May 2, in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The said letter, postmarked July 2023, bluntly warned, "CANCEL US CANADA TOUR IMMIDIATELY (sic) SRS ATTACK PLANNED," at a time during a North American tour by the Mission's spiritual leader, Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj, with scheduled appearances in the Chicago and Atlanta areas, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois. The complaint also notes that, having received similar letters, at least four other missions across the U.S. that same month, mirroring the gravity of the threat.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with its Chicago and Atlanta field offices collaborating, leads the ongoing investigation. Announcing the charges, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew S. Boutros, and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas S. DePodesta emphasized the urgency in tackling threats of mass violence. "When a threat of mass violence occurs, our Office will find, arrest, and prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law," said Boutros. "The subject’s alleged actions serve as a disturbing reminder of the hatred that many marginalized people encounter simply because of their beliefs," added FBI SAC DePodesta, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.
