Connecticut’s political world ended the week with stark reminders of how political discourse has turned threatening: The state’s two Democratic U.S. senators were intended recipients of packages with substances that raised suspicions, and a Naugatuck man was arrested by the FBI and accused of threatening to kill Republicans.
Scott Dyer, 35, was charged with making interstate threats related to what federal authorities said were comments posted on YouTube, including, “I’m prepared to kill Republicans. Eager to do it actually. I already have targets in my local community selected.”
The comments were posted on Oct. 8 and 9. The U.S. attorney’s office announced his arrest Thursday.
“Threats of violence, whether tied to politics or any other motive, have no place on the internet or anywhere else in our society,” said David X. Sullivan, the U.S. attorney. “We will investigate these crimes quickly and prosecute those involved to deter this behavior, neutralize any threats and ensure the safety of the public.”
Dyer mentioned at least one Republican official in his threats, the U.S. attorney’s office said. It did not identify the person.
“I have a lot of hollow points with his name on if we ever get the chance to meet,” Dyer said, according to the federal charging documents. Dyer was released on $100,000 bond and placed in home confinement under electronic monitoring.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy told reporters Friday after a campaign event that his office had not yet been informed what the substance was that was mailed to his office.
Authorities intercepted the letter addressed to Murphy’s Hartford office and told congressional staffs to be vigilant. A staffer in U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office set aside a letter deemed suspicious and alerted Hartford police.
“We’ve implemented new measures in our office, as have other congressional offices, to be a lot more careful about how we deal with the mail,” Murphy said. “There are some unhinged people out there with some pretty crazy conspiracy theories, and so we’re going to be vigilant, especially between now and the election.”
