A man from San Luis Obispo, known on social media as "Billy Badass," has been brought before federal court facing charges of threatening to bomb synagogues in the area. Elijah Alexander King, 36, was arraigned on a three-count federal grand jury indictment, with charges including threats and false information regarding fire and explosives, threats by interstate communication, and false information and hoaxes, as per an announcement by the Department of Justice.
King's alleged threats were posted last summer on the platform X, which took over the reins from Twitter. The sinister posts read, "I'm gonna blow up every synagogue in a 20-mile radius" and was quickly followed by "This is a real threat send the police and report me for terrorism.” Shortly after making these statements, King purportedly searched for synagogues near his location using his cellphone, reported Justice.gov.
Despite being detained and placed under psychiatric observation, it appears King continued to propagate his agenda, stating on his social media after being released, “I got arrested and put on a 3 day psych hold for my posts against the jews,” as noted by a KTLA report. His account displayed further antisemitic content and expressions of support for Adolf Hitler before the threats. Additionally, it was found that King had been sending numerous racist voicemails and emails to the very detective who initially dealt with his case.
Facing the law, King has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him with a trial set for January 13, 2026. Released on bond, he could face substantial prison time if convicted—with the threat and false information count alone carrying a maximum 10-year sentence—this according to details from the indictment obtained by Justice.gov. The prosecution of the case is under the cohesive efforts of Assistant United States Attorneys Laura A. Alexander and Jenna W. Long.
In these charged times, the FBI is investigating the case, with the San Luis Obispo Police Department also providing pivotal assistance. These events underscore the ongoing challenges law enforcement and communities face against the backdrop of online radicalization and hate speech proliferation.
