Nevada man charged with antisemitic threats against Sen. Jacky Rosen

WASHINGTON – A Nevada man has been jailed on charges he threatened Sen. Jacky Rosen with repeated antisemitic phone messages after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

John Anthony Miller, 43, was arrested Oct. 26 and charged with threatening a federal official, with the records unsealed Monday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah ordered him detained with a court appearance scheduled Nov. 13.

Miller allegedly called Rosen’s office numerous times from Oct. 11 to 19 and left threatening messages filled with profanity and derogatory names, according to court records. Miller left his name and phone number in at least two of the messages, according to court records.

One of the messages Oct. 17 said “we’re gonna finish what Hitler started,” according to court records. An Oct. 19 message accused Israelis of killing Christians in the West Bank and said Rosen would burn in hell for her crimes, according to court records.

Miller also visited the Lloyd D. George Courthouse in Las Vegas, where the Nevada Democrat has an office, but security officers refused him entry on Oct. 18, according to court records.

“Threats against public officials should be taken seriously," a spokesperson for Rosen said Tuesday. "Sen. Rosen trusts the U.S. Attorney’s office and federal law enforcement to handle this matter."

Rosen is a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which held a hearing Tuesday dealing with security threats including potential terrorist attacks in the U.S. inspired by the Israel-Hamas war.

Rosen asked for a briefing from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security about rising threats of anti-Semitism. Since the Oct. 7 attack, the Anti-Defamation League reported a 388% increase in threats and incidents against Jewish Americans compared to the same period last year, Rosen said.

“Government agencies have the responsibility to ensure the safety and security of Jewish Americans,” Rosen said.

Threats against Jewish community at historic levels

FBI Director Christopher Wray said the threats against the Jewish community have reached historic levels because they are targeted by a variety of terror groups. While representing 2.4% of the population, Jews are targeted by 60% of religious based hate crimes, he said.

“I will say this is a threat that is reaching in some ways historic levels in part because as you know all too well the Jewish community is targeted by terrorists across the spectrum,” Wray said.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he spoke weeks before the Oct. 7 attack at the Eradicate Hate summit in Pittsburgh and met with survivors of the Tree of Life attack. He participated Oct. 8 in an Anti-Defamation League meeting of 700 participants to discuss the threat landscape. And he said he engaged daily with the Jewish American community to discuss threats.

“We are doing a whole series of actions to address this moment,” Mayorkas said.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Jacky Rosen targeted with antisemitic threats; Nevada man jailed