A federal grand jury in the United States has charged a 33-year-old man for allegedly threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Ohio in January, the US Department of Justice said on Friday.
The suspect, Shannon Mathre, a resident of Toledo, Ohio, is accused of making threats to take the life of and inflict bodily harm on the vice president, according to a statement issued by the Justice Department.
Prosecutors said Mathre allegedly stated that he intended to locate the vice president during the visit and kill him using an M14 automatic rifle. The statement did not specify where or to whom the alleged threat was made.
US Secret Service agents arrested Mathre on Friday following investigations into the threat.
The incident is the latest in a series of security-related concerns involving Vice President Vance. In early January, Vance disclosed that an individual had attempted to break into his Ohio residence by repeatedly hammering on the windows. The vice president and his family were not at home at the time, and a 26-year-old man was subsequently taken into custody, according to US media reports.
In a further development, the Justice Department revealed that investigators discovered multiple digital files containing child sexual abuse materials in Mathre’s possession while probing the alleged threat against the vice president.
Mathre made his initial court appearance before a US Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of Ohio on Friday. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for February 11.
The Justice Department said the investigation is ongoing.
