Law enforcement for the US state of Georgia said Thursday they were investigating possible threats to a grand jury that voted earlier this week to indict former US President Donald Trump on multiple counts of attempting to interfere in the 2020 US election results. .
According to reports, the personal details of the 23 jurors and three reserve jurors – including their photos and addresses – were published on specialized internet sites, some of which have been linked to far-right conspiracy theories.
The sheriff’s office in Fulton County, Georgia, where the jury issued the 13 felonies against Trump last Monday, acknowledged knowledge of the posts.
“Our investigators are working closely with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to trace the origin of the threats,” he said.
The authorities will “respond swiftly to any credible threat and ensure the safety of those carrying out their civic duties,” he continued, referring to the jurors.
The indictment of Trump and 18 others for alleged conspiracy to illegally reverse the results of the 2020 election has angered the former president’s supporters.
The indictment is the fourth case that Trump has faced this year. If found guilty, he will likely be imprisoned for a very long time.
According to Media Matters, on several sites that posted personal data on jurors, anonymous internet users “issued direct threats,” one of which referred to the information as a “shoot list.”
In many courts in the United States, including federal courts, the identity of the grand jury is kept secret. In Georgia, however, their names are publicly known and written at the end of the indictment.
On Wednesday (16/8), a woman from Texas was arrested on charges of making death threats with racial slurs against a black judge presiding over a federal case regarding election conspiracy against Trump.
Abigail Jo Shry called Judge Tanya Chutkan a “stupid black slave” and said, “You are in front of us, we want to kill you,” according to the indictment.
Shry’s father told investigators that his daughter was a non-violent alcoholic and her job was to sit on the couch every day watching the television news and “drinking too much beer,” the indictment stated.
“He then became enraged by the news and began swearing at people and threatening them,” the indictment wrote, citing the father. (rd/h)
