(ConservativeJournal.org) – A man from Florida is facing charges after allegedly plotting a “mass casualty event” at Tesla’s Cybertruck promotion in Texas, an event attended by CEO Elon Musk. Paul Ryan Overeem, 28, was arrested for making terrorist threats, according to an arrest warrant from Travis County.
Overeem, using the name “ufotnoitalumis” on Instagram, posted a series of threats on November 9 targeting Tesla’s promotional event in Austin on November 30. Elon Musk, though present at the event, was not specifically mentioned in the threats outlined in the arrest warrant.
The threats included statements indicating that Overeem would be at the Tesla event waiting to open fire, and a statement that he planned on “killing people” at the event from November 30th. Overeem gestured to his followers, saying that they should “help him do something about it,” and that he wants to die. The suspect also expressed discontent with modern technology, stating that because of technology, his thoughts haven’t been free for over a year. All because of the electronics around him, according to the arrest warrant.
Detective Jennifer Boland of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office indicated that these statements raised concerns about Overeem’s potential to carry out a mass casualty event. Authorities did not disclose whether the suspect had weapons at the time of his arrest.
Instagram provided the phone number linked to the user, leading authorities to Overeem, whose Chevy Tahoe truck was spotted in Austin. He was taken into custody on Wednesday and is being held on a $300,000 bail.
Officials mentioned that Overeem has no known connections to the Austin area, and it is unclear if he has legal representation at this time. The arrest sheds light on the challenges social media platforms face in identifying and addressing potential threats, and how law enforcement utilizes these platforms to investigate and apprehend individuals making serious threats.
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