Norwich Police arrest a New London man in connection with alleged threats on social media, directed at the Norwich Mayor and his family.
John Moore, 65, of New London, has been arrested on charges of intimidation based on bigotry or bias and threatening.
The threats allegedly included threats to killing his family and setting fires to their flags and residence.
Mayor Swarnjit Singh Khalsa, who is of Sikh descent, in a statement online, "I can ignore some of the racial slurs directed at me these days, but I will not tolerate threats to my family. I will continue to serve my community as mayor and focus on economic development, whether anyone likes it or not. I have always condemned political violence and transnational repression, and I will continue to do so."
A bipartisan group of lawmakers released statements in support of the Mayor and against political violence, including:
Attorney General William Tong: “I stand with my friend Mayor Swarnjit Singh in condemning the vile and violent online threats made against him and his family. I am horrified and heartbroken, but it would be a lie to say that I am surprised. Our social media right now is a cesspool of racist trolls competing with one another over who can be the most threatening, offensive and transgressive. It’s never OK, but when hate-filled rants turn to violent threats, especially against entire families, it becomes a crime. I thank the Norwich Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation for their swift response.”
Connecticut Senate Republicans: "“Zero tolerance. There must be zero tolerance for any threats of violence. The CT Senate Republican Caucus condemns these threats in the strongest of terms. We thank local law enforcement in Norwich, and we thank our federal law enforcement officials for working cohesively to address this.”
