Federal prosecutors arrested a man over the weekend after he allegedly threatened to kill an Arizona rabbi and "every other JEW" he could find, the Justice Department said Monday.
A federal complaint and arrest warrant accuse Jeffrey Mindock, a 50-year-old Tempe resident, of sending an email to a Scottsdale rabbi on the morning of Nov. 3 demanding the synagogue leader "try to convince" a Utah judge to drop charges against Mindock in the neighboring state.
"If you do not use your influence to right this wrong I will execute you and every other JEW [sic] I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath," the email, with the subject line "HITLER WAS RIGHT," read.
"As I have watched the atrocities unfolding in Palestine, I have come to the realization that YOU people are to blame for everything evil in this world," Mindock allegedly wrote, according to an affidavit. "Zionist Jews control everything from the courts to the banks to the media. We both know that you are in control."
The message continued, saying, "If you wish to communicate with me further, I will only meet in person," and listed a Tempe address. It was signed "Shalom, Viktor Sitkevicz," the DOJ said.
The address was the same as Mindock's, according to motor vehicle records, the complaint says.
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According to the Anti-Defamation League, reports of antisemitic incidents are up 400% since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Upon further investigation, authorities found Mindock had previously sent another threatening email saying he would "hang" a judge. This came from different email addresses containing the words "sitkevicz" or "mindock." And in 2021, Mindock made a threat to "execute" others during a court appearance, saying he knew how to create bombs.
"The FBI and our law enforcement partners must take people who make threats at their word and intervene, because protecting human life is our absolute priority," said Chad Alvarado, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Phoenix field office.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7, U.S. officials have warned of a spike in antisemitic incidents. The Anti-Defamation League reported a nearly 400% increase occurred in just under three weeks of Hamas' initial attack.
