Wilbraham man indicted for threatening politicians, children, police in social media tirades
Nyawo, who is also known as Michael Jacobs, Robert Jacobs, Carl Fields, Victor Mitchells, and Jonathan Nyawo, is facing one count of stalking and 13 counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications, Massachusetts US Attorney Leah B. Foley's office said in a statement.
Advertisement
Nyawo converted to Islam a few years ago, and believes authorities are harassing him because he is a 'Black Muslim,' court documents said.
Nyawo is unemployed, allegedly has a drinking problem, and takes medication for a bipolar diagnosis, according to charging documents. In the last 20 years, he has traveled to South Africa to visit his father and to the United Kingdom, Senegal, Dubai, Serbia, and Mexico, records show.
Nyawo has been
Prosecutors allege that Nyawo made the alarming posts from July 3 to Nov. 7, alternately honing in on individuals or specific law enforcement agencies, other times threatening to bomb malls in Holyoke and Burlington, or to 'torch' the children at a Springfield elementary school, charging documents show.
On July 30, Nyawo allegedly posted: 'Hey Wilbraham, what do your children think about the death threats they're getting from Isis?'
Advertisement
On Sept. 21, Nyawo allegedly turned his attention to the Springfield Police Department, urging readers of his posts to 'hunt down and kill' their families 'like they're animals.'
Five days later, on Sept. 26, Nyawo allegedly focused on a local couple, writing, 'Shoot up the house on the corner ... that the Egyptian Jew and his Egyptian wife lives in. Kill their children if possible.'
By Nov. 4, Nyawo was allegedly calling on the 'Republican Guard [to] go to Washington DC and assassinate the DC politicians. Afterwards, assassinate the political leadership of Miami and Florida. Get the training, support, and money you need from the cartels.'
Nyawo has been admitted at least twice to Walden Behavioral Health Center in Wilbraham and Bournewood Psychiatric Hospital in Brookline, court records show.
While at Bournewood, hospital staff reported that Nyawo was 'fixated on Jihad,' had a book about destroying America, and said 'it's time for me to die.'
Each of Nyawo's 13 charges carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors said.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Colorado firebomb terror attack suspect was in the US illegally after overstaying his visa, previously applied for asylum: report
The Egyptian national accused of blasting a group of Israeli hostage supporters with a homemade flamethrower and Molotov cocktails during a Colorado solidarity walk Sunday was in the United States illegally after his visa expired in March, according to a report. Terror suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, originally entered the country through the Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 27, 2022, Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement sources told Fox News. Soliman arrived with a non-immigrant visa and was permitted to stay through Feb. 26, 2023, according to the outlet. Instead, he outstayed his original visa. 5 Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, originally entered the country through the Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 27, 2022. After filing a claim, he was cleared for work authorization by US Citizenship and Immigration Services on March 29, 2023. But that second chance only lasted through this March, meaning Soliman has remained in the US illegally for a little over two months, Fox reported. 'A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien. He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit. Suicidal migration must be fully reversed,' White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote on X. Soliman's LAX landing wasn't his first attempt to enter the country. In 2005, the Egyptian was denied a visa to enter the country, law enforcement officials told CNN. It is unclear if he tried again before 2022, when he was ultimately approved. The Department of Homeland Security is working alongside the FBI to investigate the 'terrorist attack,' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed. 5 Soliman arrived with a non-immigrant visa and was permitted to stay through Feb. 26, 2023. 5 Soliman outstayed his original visa. Soliman was arrested and identified as the suspect in the fiery attack against a group of people, largely comprised of the elderly, participating in a walk for the Israeli hostages still being held captive by Hamas. He was allegedly waiting for the group at one of their scheduled stops on their walk. Pictures showed a shirtless Soliman holding two bottles of clear liquid that were allegedly used as a homemade incendiary device. He also allegedly used a 'makeshift flamethrower' to attack the group, officials said. 5 The Department of Homeland Security is working alongside the FBI to investigate the 'terrorist attack.' 5 After filing a claim, he was cleared for work authorization by US Citizenship and Immigration Services on March 29, 2023. But that second chance only lasted through this March, meaning Soliman has remained in the US illegally for a little over two months. Eight victims — four men and four women between the ages of 52 and 88 — were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. At least one person was in critical condition as of Sunday evening. Soliman was also injured during the attack and treated at a nearby hospital. The FBI confirmed it is investigating the firebomb assault as an act of terrorism. 'As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,' FBI Denver Special Agent Mark Michalek said at a press conference.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Judge set to pass verdict after trial of man who burned Koran
A judge is set to pass verdict after the trial of a man who burned a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London. Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted 'f*** Islam', 'Islam is religion of terrorism' and 'Koran is burning' as he held the flaming Islamic text aloft in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, London, on February 13, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard last week. Coskun denies a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress', motivated by 'hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam', contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986. He also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress', contrary to section five of the Public Order Act 1986. The charges are alternative to each other, meaning if hostility towards religion is not proven, Coskun could still be found guilty of the simple offence of disorderly behaviour. His lawyer, Katy Thorne KC, argued last week that the prosecution is effectively trying to revive blasphemy laws, which were abolished in England and Wales in 2008 and Scotland in 2021. Blasphemy remains an offence in Northern Ireland but is rarely enforced. Prosecutor Philip McGhee said the case is about disorderly conduct, not the act of burning the Koran itself, adding that the prosecution of Coskun does not represent a restriction on criticising religion. Turkey-born Coskun, who is half Kurdish and half Armenian, travelled from his home in the Midlands and set fire to the Koran at around 2pm, the court heard. In footage captured on a mobile phone by a passerby that was shown to the court, a man approached and asked Coskun why he was burning a copy of the Koran. Coskun can be heard making a reference to 'terrorist' and the man called the defendant 'a f****** idiot'. The man approached him allegedly holding a knife or bladed article and appeared to slash out at him, the court heard. The footage appeared to show Coskun back away and use the burning Koran to deflect the attacker, who is alleged to have slashed out at him again. The man chased Coskun, and the defendant stumbled forward and fell to the ground, dropping the Koran, the footage showed. Coskun was spat at and kicked by the man, the court heard. The man said: 'Burning the Koran? It's my religion, you don't burn the Koran.' Coskun had posted on social media that he was protesting against the 'Islamist government' of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who the defendant allegedly said 'has made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a Sharia regime', prosecutors said. The defendant, who is an atheist, believes that he protested peacefully and burning the Koran amounted to freedom of expression, the court heard. His legal fees are being paid for by the Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society (NSS). District Judge John McGarva will pass verdict at the same court on Monday. Stephen Evans, chief executive of the NSS, said before the trial: 'A successful prosecution in this case could represent the effective criminalisation of damaging a Koran in public, edging us dangerously close to a prohibition on blasphemy. 'The case also highlights the alarming use of public order laws to curtail our collective right to protest and free speech based on the subjective reactions of others. 'Establishing a right not to be offended threatens the very foundation of free expression.' A spokesperson for Humanists UK previously said that a successful prosecution would 'effectively resurrect the crime of blasphemy in England and Wales – 17 years after its abolition'. They added: 'This reintroduction of blasphemy by the back door would have profound consequences, not only for free expression in the UK but for the safety and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of so-called 'apostates' in the UK and their right to freedom of thought and conscience.'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Authorities in Mecca crack down on Hajj pilgrims without permits
Security forces in Mecca are cracking down on people trying to make a pilgrimage without a permit, as the Islamic holy city prepares to host hundreds of thousands of Muslim worshippers. Ahead of the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, authorities have denied access to Mecca to around 270,000 people because they did not have official permits, the Hajj Security Committee said on Sunday. In addition, more than 400 illegal Hajj companies have been discovered, along with more than 5,000 vehicles that were meant to transport unauthorized pilgrims to the holy sites. The Hajj is expected to begin on Wednesday. Nearly 1.5 million people have travelled from abroad to take part. Last year, around 1.8 million people participated. For many Muslims around the world, the Hajj is one of the most important religious experiences of their lives and is also one of the five pillars of Islam. Because the cost for a pilgrim from abroad can be equivalent to $5,700 or significantly more, some try to get to Mecca through unofficial channels. They enter the country as tourists and then visit the holy sites in Mecca and Medina during the pilgrimage without the required Hajj permit. Locals also try to take part in the pilgrimage without authorization.
