The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday the arrest of a 30-year-old Dover man after he responded to a text message from GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy by threatening to “blow his brains out” and “kill everyone” who attended a campaign event in Portsmouth.
While the DOJ press release only referred to the candidate as “the victim,” the Ramaswamy campaign has confirmed to NHJournal that he was the target of the threat.
The suspect, Tyler Anderson, “has been arrested and charged in connection with sending text messages that threatened a presidential candidate and attendees at a campaign event scheduled to take place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,” according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young.
Ramaswamy’s campaign had announced a “Breakfast with Vivek” event at the Roundabout Diner in Portsmouth on Monday, December 11. According to the charging document, “Anderson received a text message from the victim’s campaign notifying him” of the event. “Anderson responded to the text message on December 8, 2023, stating: ‘Great, another opportunity for me to blow his brains out!’ and ‘I’m going to kill everyone who attends and then f*** their corpses.’”
Anderson now faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, according to Young’s office.
Ramaswamy’s communications director, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement to NHJournal:
“We are grateful to law enforcement for their swiftness and professionalism in handling this matter and pray for the safety of all Americans.”
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