NEW YORK – The Long Island man allegedly behind a string of threats in which he described wanting to “start” a Manhattan synagogue has also admitted to being part of a white supremacist group online, prosecutors said in documents from the. court.
Law enforcement officials said Saturday the arrests of two New York men at Penn Station prevented a “developing threat” to the Jewish community.
Christopher Brown and Matthew Mahrer were taken into custody in the busy transit center on Friday night, hours after authorities identified Brown for allegedly posting a series of threats on Twitter. The couple were in possession of numerous weapons, police said.
“Two MTA Police officers assigned to patrol in Penn Station Friday night after being briefed by an MTA Police Detective assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in English) by the FBI/NYPD, identified two men wanted in connection with threats to the Jewish community,” MTA Police Department Chief John Mueller said in a statement.
In addition to a “military-style knife” in his possession, authorities said a firearm and high-capacity magazine were recovered from Mahrer’s Upper West Side apartment building.
Brown, of Aquebogue, faced a judge Sunday on charges of weapons possession and terrorist threats. The indictment documents include some of the violent tweets posted last week; one stated that Brown allegedly “asked a priest whether I should become a husband or shoot up a synagogue and die”.
A week before his arrest, the 21-year-old reportedly tweeted, “Big moves were made on Friday.”
In addition to the multiple weapons recovered during his arrest, prosecutors also said Brown was in possession of a swastika armband, a balaclava and a bulletproof vest. Specific details of any plans he may have carried out have not been released by officials.
Court documents detail a statement Brown made to authorities Saturday in which he admitted to purchasing a firearm with Mahrer from a friend in Pennsylvania. He also allegedly claimed responsibility for posting the threatening tweets, claiming he belongs to a white supremacist group on Twitter.
An email to Brown’s public defender was not immediately returned Sunday morning.
“A potential tragedy was averted when they were intercepted by police officers at Penn Station, as online posts indicated an intent to use these weapons in a Manhattan synagogue,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The Anti-Defamation League said its organization first identified online threats on Brown’s closed Twitter account and found hundreds of anti-Semitic tweets posted last week.
“This is a very active person on social media and that’s one of the reasons the police were concerned about him,” she told our sister network. News 4 Scott Richman, regional director of the ADL.
Mahrer, who was charged only with weapons possession, was arraigned on Saturday night and is being held without bail. His lawyer argued in court that the 22-year-old had no criminal record, saying he is of “Jewish heritage,” reported the NY Post.
The NYPD chief said police commanders would “strategically deploy resources to sensitive locations throughout New York City” following the arrests.
