A federal judge has banned a Virginia man from using Twitter after tweeting death threats to U.S. senators this month.
Kyle Schmitz, 27, had tweeted Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in the days after the mass shooting at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub, “I’m going to shoot you in the head for allowing someone to murder my loved ones.”
The judge ruled as a condition of Schmitz’ bond release, he was not allowed to use the social media platform.
On Monday, Schmitz, a driver for the ride-sharing app Uber, had made a “direct threat” when he tweeted the violent messages at another unnamed senator.
The graphic messages prompted an investigation by U.S. Capitol Police. Hours after the tweets were posted, an automated license plate reader on Capitol Hill notified Capitol Police that Schmitz’s car had been detected in the vicinity of Blunt’s office. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after his detection.
