A federal grand jury in Wichita has returned indictments against two Kansas men for threatening violence against federal officials in two separate incidents.
According to court documents 60-year-old Adam Lee Osborn of Wichita was indicted on one count of interstate communications with a threat to injure and one count of influencing, impeding, and retaliating against a federal official by threatening. On January 23 Osborn allegedly indicated via social media that he intended to murder Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a separate case 23-year-old Joaquin Hernandez of Wichita was indicted on one count of interstate communications with threat to injure and one count of retaliating against a federal official by threatening. On January 22 Hernandez is accused of posting a video on social media threatening to assault and murder federal law enforcement agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement carrying out their duties in Wichita.
In a statement U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said, “Threats of political violence will not be tolerated. In a democracy, we settle our differences at the ballot box after robust public debate. For our system of government to work, it’s vital that certain lines are not crossed when it comes to self-expression.
Threats of political violence destabilize the very core of our system of governance.”
The Wichita Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating both cases.