Leader of White supremacist group arrested for threatening to kill journalist trying to report on organization
By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN
A California man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly threatening to kill a journalist who was trying to report on his organization, the Justice Department said.
Nicholas Welker, who also goes by “King ov Wrath” and “ilovehate5150,” was the leader of the Feuerkrieg Division — a White supremacist group that prosecutors said has a goal of “challenging laws, social order, and the government via terrorism and other violent acts” and “encourages attacks on racial minorities, the Jewish community, the LGBTQ+ community, the U.S. Government, journalists, and critical infrastructure.”
According to court documents, Welker allegedly posted violent memes online about a Brooklyn-based journalist who was reporting on the Feuerkrieg Division.
The journalist and news organization were not named in court filings.
The images included a picture of the journalist with the words “Race Traitor” over their eyes and a gun pointed to their head, prosecutors said, and was captioned “JOURNALIST F**K OFF! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.” Welker also posted that the journalist “Works as a Reporter” and is “Responsible for Stalking our Boys for Information,” prosecutors said.
Two of Welker’s followers then tweeted directly at the journalist, according to court documents, with one asking them “have you seen the new stuff we made about you? just thought id ask.”
Welker faces one charge of conspiracy to transmit threatening communications and faces up to five years in prison if convicted. He has not yet entered a formal plea.
The-CNN-Wire
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