Texas man arrested, accused of threatening pro-Israel media

A Texas man was arrested for allegedly making death threats against Jewish, pro-Israel, or conservative media commentators who live in Florida. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday evening that Nicholas Ray, from Spring, Texas, was arrested after a weeklong investigation.

Ray faces charges of extortion, written threats to kill, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He is currently in custody and will be extradited to Florida, Uthmeier said. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Who did Ray allegedly target? Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, conservative journalist Laura Loomer, New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz, and author Josh Hammer are among those who claim that Ray threatened them.

Dillon, the Christian satirist, said that Ray accused him of conspiring with a foreign government on the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Dillon posted a screenshot of a post he said was from Ray. The post said Dillon was living on borrowed time. “We’re gonna get you,” the writer promised. Dillon later wrote on social media that he reported these threats to authorities.

Loomer said that Ray targeted her and Hammer, who is also the senior editor-at-large at Newsweek. She said that Ray accused her of being a foreign agent. A post on Ray’s alleged X account said he would celebrate if she were hanged. The same account seemed to threaten Markowicz with eradication.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the conspiracy theory that Israel was behind the assassination of Kirk.