North Carolina man arrested over antisemitic threats sent to Jewish leaders, Holocaust memorial

Federal authorities have arrested Brian Charles of North Carolina, charging him with mailing antisemitic threats to Jewish organizations and leaders in Florida and Washington, D.C., in June and July. The FBI identified Charles through a fingerprint on a letter sent to AJC Palm Beach, with envelopes also bearing his name and return address. The letters contained explicit threats such as, "I am going to destroy many Jews" and "Many shall die by my wrath." Recipients included the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, officials from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and U.S. Secret Service protectees. Charles had previously pleaded guilty in 2018 to similar charges in New Mexico. Vlad Khaykin of the Simon Wiesenthal Center stated, "Such threats are intended not merely to offend, but to terrorize: to make Jewish Americans afraid to open their mail, enter their institutions or live openly as Jews."