Reports that a man arrested in North Carolina plotted to kill Democratic candidate Joe Biden, announced just before the final presidential debate, left out that he wanted to ‘save’ his rival for the nomination, Bernie Sanders.
The arrest of Seattle-born Alexander Hillel Treisman, 19, made the news on Thursday night but dated back to September, when he was indicted by a federal grand jury on child pornography charges. Police “stumbled” upon the van Treisman had allegedly abandoned at a bank in Kannapolis, North Carolina and found a rifle, explosives and $509,000 inside, multiple outlets reported on Friday.
Here is the mugshot police took of Alexander Treisman after they arrested him. He was initially arrested on a state charge of carrying a concealed weapon. He now remains in federal custody — but still not charged with plotting to kill Joe Biden https://t.co/P4RAY7KouFpic.twitter.com/v2tGZ8JgDJ
However, Treisman hasn’t actually been charged with plotting to assassinate Biden, at least not yet.
While the announcement of his arrest and charges on the eve of the presidential debate, led to frenzied speculation that he was a “right-wing radical” and finger-pointing at President Donald Trump, details published Friday suggest Treisman was nothing of the sort.
I didn’t get why this wasn’t newsier until:“Days after Sen. Bernie Sanders suspended his…campaign, Treisman, who had suggested in a Reddit post that he had to “save bernie,” posted a meme with the caption questioning whether he should kill Biden.”https://t.co/H3e4JEQRqa
According to court documents cited by the Washington Post and the Daily Beast on Friday, Treisman had posted on Reddit that he had to “save bernie” and posted a meme wondering if he should kill Biden days after Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) suspended his presidential campaign on April 8. Sanders went on to endorse Biden on April 13.
“My hatred is for the complacent American people who will turn u in for their own satisfaction. But aside from former goals, my eyes on the future. If anything I have to save bernie,” Treisman had written on another platform, iFunny, according to the documents.
The authorities also allege he ran a number of Google searches “between March and May” about state gun laws and rifle parts.
Treisman reportedly told the police he did not intend to actually harm anyone, saying that “all online threats were part of a persona.” The detention memo noted he had no prior criminal history and had been “diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome” at age 12. Previously a separate diagnosis, Asperger’s was folded into the broader Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2013.
Actual charges against Treisman related to “a total of 1,248 videos and 6,721 images of child pornography content” found on a total of eight devices, according to the detention memo dated October 6.
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