A Texas man has been charged with making online threats, including antisemitic messages, against several conservative activists residing in Florida. Nicholas Ray, a 28-year-old from Spring, Texas, faces a litany of allegations, including extortion, written threats to kill, and the use of two-way communications to convey threats, detailed documents from a Palm Beach County court reveal.
Ray, who went by the moniker “Klaus” on the social media platform X, reportedly sent death threats to Laura Loomer, as well as other conservative media members like Joshua B. Hammer, Seth Dillon, and Karol Markowicz, between Oct. 8 and Oct. 10. The Sun-Sentinel details that the threats included hostile and violent language, calling for punishments such as hanging and beatings. Among the various slurs and offensive remarks, one post towards Hammer included a particularly alarming message, @josh_hammer – Americans are gonna hang you in public and take turns beating your lifeless body with a piñata stick, you lifeless traitor.”
These developments unfolded after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) initiated an investigation on Oct. 12 following the receipt of antisemitic threats made on X. Once the FDLE acquired IP addresses related to the threats from X, they then gained further details from internet providers AT&T and Charter Communications. The data pointed to Ray’s residence and cell phone number as the source of the threats, as noted in a report by WPBF.
Ray was initially apprehended on Oct. 20 in Texas pursuant to an out-of-state warrant issued by Florida. The collaborative efforts of the FDLE and the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas confirmed Ray’s address and also documented a vehicle with Ray as the registered owner. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier highlighted on X that the alleged victims are recognized Jewish conservative media members. Following extradition procedures, Ray was detained in Palm Beach County Jail, currently held on an $820,000 bond.
