By MARK SHERMAN and MICHAEL BALSAMO
WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed man who threatened to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh was arrested close to the justice’s home in Maryland, officers mentioned Wednesday.
The California man, in his 20s, was armed with a gun and a knife, in accordance with a legislation enforcement official. The man, whose id has not been launched, arrived in a taxi early within the morning close to Kavanaugh’s dwelling in a suburb of the nation’s capital and advised legislation enforcement officers he wished to kill Kavanaugh, mentioned the official, who was not approved to publicly talk about particulars of the continuing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on situation of anonymity.
Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe confirmed the person was armed and had made threats towards Kavanaugh. The man was arrested about 1:50 a.m. by the Montgomery County, Maryland, police and the U.S. Marshals Service, the businesses mentioned.
The Washington Post initially reported the arrest, quoting sources who mentioned the person additionally was carrying housebreaking instruments. He advised police he was upset by a leaked draft opinion suggesting the court docket is about to overrule Roe v. Wade, the court docket’s landmark abortion case, the Post reported. He was additionally mentioned to be upset over latest mass shootings, in accordance with the newspaper.
The justices have been supplied round the clock safety at their houses amid considerations about violence following the court docket’s final resolution.
“This kind of behavior is obviously behavior we will not tolerate,” Attorney General Merrick Garland mentioned. “Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices of course strike at the heart of our democracy and we will do everything we can to prevent them and to hold people who do them accountable.”
President Joe Biden praised authorities for shortly apprehending the person, deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates mentioned in an e-mail.
There have been protests on the houses of Kavanaugh and different justices, in addition to demonstrations on the court docket, the place a safety fence rings the constructing and close by streets have been closed.
A Homeland Security Department report mentioned the draft opinion, leaked in early May, has unleashed a wave of threats towards officers and others and elevated the probability of extremist violence.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”