Police in northeast Ohio arrest man who allegedly menaced GOP US Rep. Max Miller on interstate
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A northeast Ohio man was arrested Thursday on allegations that he threatened and spewed antisemitic epithets at Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller while the two were traveling on an interstate highway near Cleveland.
Police in Rocky River said Feras S. Hamdan, 36, of Westlake, voluntarily turned himself in with counsel present and is awaiting an appearance in municipal court. A message was left with his lawyer seeking comment.
Miller, who is Jewish, called 911 while driving on Interstate 90 on his way to work Thursday. He reported that another driver was cutting him off, making profane hand gestures, showing a Palestinian flag and shouting death threats targeted at him and his 1-year-old daughter.
After an interview with police, Miller filed a complaint against Hamdan alleging aggravated menacing and sought a criminal protective order. Local police continue to investigate with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney's office and the Rocky River prosecutor.
The Ohio Jewish Caucus praised Rocky River police and extended their thoughts to Miller and his family, noting the incident followed by just days the politically motivated shootings in Minnesota, which left two people dead and two others injured.
'Enough is enough," the all-Democratic legislative alliance said in a statement. "There is no place for this type of violence — whether it be political, antisemitic, or ideological — whatsoever. We believe we can solve our differences with humility, not hatred.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Suspected killer of Minnesota lawmakers is a 'prepper' who had 'bailout' plan for family
Recently unsealed court filings reveal how Vance Boelter was preparing himself and his family for a catastrophic event. Police found his wife with two guns and around $10,000 in cash. The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in a brazen assault while dressed as a police officer is a doomsday "prepper" who set aside passports, guns and hordes of cash in the event of a catastrophe, newly unsealed federal court documents show. Vance Boelter's wife relayed the doomsday plans after she was interviewed by police during a manhunt for Boelter after he allegedly shot four people on June 14, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. "During an interview, Boelter's wife identified that she had recently receive a group text message from Boelter in a group text thread with their kids," FBI Special Agent Terry Getsch wrote. "The text stated something to the effect of they should prepare for war, they needed to get out of the house and people with guns may be showing up to the house." Boelter's wife was stopped by law enforcement while traveling with her four children to visit friends northwest of the metro area, the federal complaint said. In the car, officers found a safe, all of the children's passports as well as Boelter's, about $10,000 in cash, a revolver pistol in the glove box and another semi-automatic pistol in a cooler, the FBI says in the complaint. Boelter, 57, is accused of killing state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The new information about Boelter and his family comes nearly a week after the attack that investigators say Boelter "extensively researched" and planned. He compiled a list of mostly Democratic state lawmakers and their addresses; he fitted his SUV with lights and a fake license plate to resemble a police squad car; and he purchased a silicone mask and a cache of weapons, according to a 20-page affidavit filed in federal court. Details about what Boelter's wife was carrying come after federal investigators revealed Boelter sent multiple texts to her and the children hours after the shootings. In a group chat, he sent the following message at 6:18 a.m.: 'Dad went to war last night … I dont wanna say more because I dont wanna implicate anybody.' Around the same time, his wife received a separate message from Boelter. 'Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation … there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around.' Boelter was arrested late June 15 following the largest manhunt in Minnesota state history, authorities said. Federal prosecutors charged him with several counts of murder and stalking. Minnesota authorities say they believe Boelter impersonated law enforcement to gain access to the victims' homes, exchanged gunfire with police and fled on foot outside Minneapolis. Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz called the killing of Hortman a "politically motivated assassination." What else to know about Boelter? At various times, Boelter has claimed to work in the food service industry. In other moments, he's claimed he runs large firms involved with 'security situations' overseas, including Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The recently unsealed court filings said Boelter worked at Red Lion, a 'security company and fishing outfit in Congo, Africa.' On LinkedIn, Boelter called himself CEO of Red Lion, according to reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, though the Red Lion website linked to his LinkedIn profile was down and Boelter said he was open to work. He also appeared as a speaker for a Minnesota nonprofit serving African immigrant communities. Minnesota Africans United, a Brooklyn Park nonprofit, said in a statement that Boelter participated in an August 2022 virtual webinar about trade and investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Boelter's participation as a speaker was facilitated by a third-party, the statement said. He was never hired, paid or contracted by the nonprofit, which had no contact with him since the one-time appearance. A biography for the session described Boelter as having worked in Congo and for a security guard company. USA TODAY previously reported that a LinkedIn page believed to belong to Boelter showed he attended St. Cloud State University. University spokesperson Zach Dwyer confirmed Boelter graduated in 1996. Childhood friend called police on him David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he has been sharing a house in Minneapolis with Boelter for a little more than a year and last saw him the night of June 13. At about 6 a.m. on June 14, he received a text from Boelter. "He said that he might be dead soon," said Carlson, who called police. Carlson, who has known Boelter since fourth grade, said Boelter worked for an eye donation center and stayed at the house because it was close to his job. Carlson said he feels betrayed by Boelter and heartbroken for the victims, adding: "His family has got to suffer through this." Federal authorities said the Boelter family home was in Green Isle, Minnesota, about one mile from where he was ultimately captured. The Minnesota city of around 600 people is about an hour southwest of the Twin Cities. Green Isle is a small community, Mayor Shane Sheets told USA TODAY. Boelter had no known political involvement or affiliation in the city, he said
Los Angeles Times
21 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Rhode Island lawmakers pass bill to ban sales of assault weapons
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island's Democratic-controlled state House on Friday approved legislation that would ban the sale and manufacture of many semiautomatic rifles commonly referred to as assault weapons. The proposal now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Daniel McKee, who has said he supports assault weapons bans. If the bill is signed into law, Rhode Island will join 10 other states that have some sort of prohibition on high-powered firearms that were once banned nationwide and are now largely the weapon of choice among those responsible for most of the country's mass shootings. Gun control advocates have been pushing for an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island for more than a decade. But despite being a Democratic stronghold, lawmakers throughout the country's smallest state have long argued over the necessity and legality of such proposals. The bill applies only to the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and not possession. Only Washington state has a similar law. Residents looking to purchase an assault weapon from nearby New Hampshire or elsewhere will also be blocked. Federal law prohibits people from traveling to a different state to purchase a gun and returning it to a state where that particular of weapon is banned. Nine states and the District of Columbia have bans on the possession of assault weapons, covering major cities including Los Angeles and New York. Hawaii bans assault pistols. Critics of Rhode Island's proposed law argued Friday during floor debates that assault weapons bans do little to curb mass shootings and only punish people with such rifles. 'This bill doesn't go after criminals, it just puts the burden on law-abiding citizens,' said Republican Sen. Thomas Paolino. It wasn't just Republicans who opposed the legislation. David Hogg — a gun control advocate who survived the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla. — and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence described the proposed ban as the 'weakest assault weapons ban in the country.' 'I know that Rhode Islanders deserve a strong bill that not only bans the sale, but also the possession of assault weapons. It is this combination that equals public safety,' Hogg said in a statement. Elisabeth Ryan, policy counsel at Everytown for Gun Safety, rejected assertions that the proposed law is weak. 'The weakest law is what Rhode Island has now — no ban on assault weapons,' Ryan said. 'This would create a real, enforceable ban on the sale and manufacture of assault weapons, just like the law already working in Washington state, getting them off the shelves of Rhode Island gun stores once and for all.' Nationally, assault weapons bans have been challenged in court by gun rights groups that argue the bans violate the 2nd Amendment. AR-15-style firearms are among the bestselling rifles in the country. The conservative-majority Supreme Court may soon take up the issue. The justices declined to hear a challenge to Maryland's assault weapons ban in early June, but three conservative justices — Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas — publicly noted their disagreement. A fourth justice, Brett M. Kavanaugh, indicated he was skeptical that the bans are constitutional and predicted the court would hear a case 'in the next term or two.' Kruesi writes for the Associated Press. AP writers David Lieb in Jefferson City, Mo., and Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
26 minutes ago
Vance accuses California officials of 'endangering law enforcement' during LA visit
President Trump plans to travel to the NATO Summit next week with a couple of key goals in mind, a senior administration official told reporters Friday. At the top of Trump's priorities: securing 5% defense spending from NATO members, urging alliance members to revitalize their industrial capacities for critical minerals and weapons, and bilateral meetings to reaffirm commitment to allies. On NATO defense spending, the senior administration official said that Trump wants to "secure a historic 5% defense spending pledge from NATO allies, which will strengthen the alliance's combined military capabilities and ensure greater stability in Europe and the world," the official said. President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, June 20, Balce Ceneta/AP The senior administration official said that Trump will also "urge allies to revitalize their industrial capacities in order to create Western supply chains capable of producing the critical minerals infrastructure, weapons and other products necessary for the security of America and her allies." Lastly, the official said that Trump, "intends to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders, which will focus on issues of shared concern and reaffirm the United States' strong ties with our allies and partners." -ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
