The AP’s title should read “Seattle Man Charged with Hate Thought Crime over Mosque Threats”. After all, a hate crime is just a thought crime.
And who gets to define which thoughts are criminal and which ones are not?
A hate-crime charge has been filed against a man who allegedly made online threats against a Seattle mosque.
The Seattle Times reports 37-year-old Robert Farris was charged with one count of malicious harassment. He was arrested Tuesday at his Seattle apartment.
Charging documents say Farris posted threatening comments about Muslims including one with a photo of Idris Mosque with the words, “Idriss (sic) Mosque in Seattle, too many targets to count.” He also vowed to “take revenge” against Muslims, an apparent reference to the man who on Sunday killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Police say Farris told them he wrote the posts. It wasn’t immediately clear if Farris has an attorney.
Police said Farris has been previously interviewed about threats to another mosque. He remains in jail on $2 million bail.
Via the Associated Press