A Georgia man has been arrested after allegedly threatening FBI Director Christopher Wray in an online post last year, the Department of Justice announced. John Woodbury, 34, of Roswell, appeared in court on Thursday facing federal charges of transmitting interstate threats.
According to prosecutors, Woodbury posted a message on the 4chan message board on June 7, 2023, threatening violence against Director Wray and others. The indictment details that Woodbury’s post included statements such as, “Let’s show them what a f—— ‘Nazi’ … looks like …. It’s time to burn these mother f—— down and hang them from trees. Hit them where it f—— hurts. Hit Chris at his home. Make his family fear stepping one foot outside their goddamn door.”
The Department of Justice also stated that Woodbury allegedly shared Wray’s home address along with his threatening language.
The indictment indicates that Woodbury “consciously disregarded a substantial risk that his communication would be viewed as threatening violence.”
The specific motives behind Woodbury’s alleged threats and the details leading investigators to him are not disclosed in the indictment.
Woodbury was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month on charges of interstate communication threats and threats to a federal law enforcement officer. He has not yet entered a plea, and court records do not list an attorney for him.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia, who is prosecuting the case, condemned threats against law enforcement officials as “especially heinous.”
“Sending threats to physically harm a public official in an attempt to thwart the administration of justice is a criminal offense,” Buchanan said in a statement. “Director Wray and other law enforcement officials work tirelessly to safeguard our freedoms and to protect our citizens from harm.”
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“Our office will remain steadfast in helping to ensure that public officials can carry out their duties free from fear or intimidation,” Buchanan added.
