The FBI has arrested an Ohio man after he allegedly made violent threats against federal agents and Planned Parenthood clinics.
In their affidavit, the FBI say Justin Olsen, 18, made his threats to commit mass shootings on his account on iFunny, a website where users usually share memes. Olsen’s account, where the FBI says he also praised other mass murders, was investigated in February by FBI agents in Anchorage, Alaska.
Under the name “ArmyOfChrist,” Olsen allegedly used the Waco, Texas siege of the Branch Davidians by federal authorities as a reason to “shoot every federal agent on sight.” After serving a subpoena to Google to confirm the account belonged to Olsen, the Anchorage office handed off the investigation to agents in Ohio.
Olsen also reportedly encouraged his over 5,000 followers not to comply with gun laws and “stock up on stuff they could ban. In fact, go out of your way to break these laws, they f—ing stupid” and praised the Oklahoma City bombing as an example “that armed resistance is a viable method of political change.”
When the FBI interviewed Olsen, he admitted to using the account and said his comments were “only a joke” and his call to “shoot every federal agent on sight” was a “hyperbolic conclusion based on the results of the Waco siege” because “the ATF slaughtered families.”
When agents searched Olsen’s father’s home, they found over 15 firearms, including AR-15s, and over 13,000 rounds of ammunition, which were seized by the FBI. Olsen was arrested and made an initial appearance in court on Monday.
Olsen’s arrest comes shortly after two mass shootings occurred in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, within 24 hours of each other, which resulted in a combined total of 31 deaths.
