Chicago man arrested after allegedly threatening to kill people in a women's reproductive health center



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Farhan Sheikh, 19, reportedly posted the threat this month on iFunny, a social media platform on which users can post memes on the internet, according to a criminal complaint.

He was arrested on Friday and accused of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, federal prosecutors said.

Sheikh's public defender declined to comment on Monday.

Sheikh appeared for the first time in US court Susan E. Cox, US Judge. Cox ordered Sheikh to remain in custody pending a detention hearing on Tuesday, federal prosecutors in Illinois said. He incurs up to five years in case of conviction.

Around August 13, the FBI learned that an iFunny user had posted a threat, according to court documents. In this message, Sheikh would have written: "I am done with my state and my laws on abortion and allow innocent children to be slaughtered for what we call the "right of the woman", according to "an affidavit of the FBI.

Sheikh wrote that he was planning to go to the clinic, located about 4 miles from his home on August 23, and "proceed to the slaughter and murder of any doctor, patient or patient. visitor ", according to an affidavit. He also said that his account was "NOT a satirical account, I'm posting what I mean and I will execute what I publish," the newspaper said.

On August 13, FBI agents raided his home. Sheikh told the FBI agents that he thought they had come because of a "joke" that he had posted on iFunny, according to court documents.

Sheikh referred to the arrest of Justin Olsen, an 18-year-old Ohio man, who was charged this month with threatening to assault a federal police officer, according to a criminal complaint.

Olsen threatened to attack federal law enforcement investigators and discussed Waco's headquarters on iFunny in 1993, in June, according to an affidavit. Olsen also accused the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives of being responsible for the deaths of dozens of people living in the Davidian Branch Complex, according to court documents.

Olsen was sentenced to court last week. His lawyer could not be reached Monday night.

Marlena Baldacci, Dave Alsup and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.

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