New York Man Arrested for Arson Threats to PC(USA)
The FBI arrested the man behind the Presbyterian Church (USA) arson threats on Thursday, bringing a sigh of relief to officials at the denomination’s headquarters in Louisville, KY.
The FBI arrested the man behind the Presbyterian Church (USA) arson threats on Thursday, bringing a sigh of relief to officials at the denomination’s headquarters in Louisville, KY.
Jeffrey A. Winters, 25, of Queens, N.Y., was arrested “without incident” after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched his apartment. He is charged with interstate communication of a threat to injure another person; if convicted, he may be sentenced to five years in jail and fined $250,000.
According to a criminal complaint filed against Winters, FBI agents used several internet postings by Winters and handwriting analysis to link him to the anonymous letter received at the PC(USA) headquarter promising “violence” last November.
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"It appears that he has some emotional issues to deal with," FBI spokesman David Beyer said of Winters, to the Associated Press.
The November letter, which, threatened to set churches on fire while people were inside, charged the denomination of being “anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish.”
Replete with a swastika, it read, “I promise violence against Presbyterian Churches -- They will go up in flames, bet your expletive that’s a terrorist threat.”
The letter, which had no return address but bore a Queens, NY, postmark, also set a Nov. 15 deadline for the denomination to “reverse” its Middle East policies “or else”.
Since the letter was received on Nov. 9, officials at the Louisville headquarters upped the security, and advised its 11,200 to do the same. However, they did not change their recently passed policy to divest from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
According to the Presbyterian News Service, several menacing letters have arrived in Louisville regarding the same issue, including one this week.
The criminal complaints against Winters notes that he sent the PC(USA) a second letter in January as well as the November threat. It also states that he threatened the National Mental Health Association headquarters.
While no PC(USA) churches were harmed, the denomination’s Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, said that congregations in New York City and others throughout the northeast were anxious after the contents of the November letter were made public.
On Friday, Rev. Kirkpatrick told reporters that he is thankful the case is now closed.
“We are grateful that this threat against our churches has been eased and appreciate the work of the FBI in this matter,” said Kirkpatrick. “At the same time, we need to be in prayer for Mr. Winters and for the peace and well being of Israelis, Palestinians and all the people of the Middle East.”
