A federal judge in Texas ruled Monday that general threats to kill Jews can be punished under the law. Judge David Alan Ezra made this clear in a long opinion for the case U.S. v. Griffin. The defendant posted violent messages on the social media site Gab. He was charged with four counts of sending threatening messages across state lines. The court looked at the specific words he typed and shared online.
The Grand Jury found that the defendant targeted synagogues because of the religion of the people inside. “I can pick any synagogue I want and go postal on it” was one post, according to Reason Magazine. The jury alleged he “intentionally selected any synagogue as the object of his threat because of the actual and perceived religion of persons associated with synagogues.” This finding means the law sees these words as a real plan, not just a joke.
The defendant wrote that Zionists do not have the authority to lecture him on sexual morals or anything else. The court noted he intentionally selected the victims of his threat because of the actual and perceived religion of such persons. These statements were not vague complaints about society. They were direct threats against specific groups based on their faith.
He also wrote about attacking state representatives. “Like I’m looking up what is their schedule, where are they and when so I can potentially kill them,” he stated. “That’s how FUCKING PISSED I am about America ripping me off” was his admission. The defendant entered a plea of Not Guilty on July 28, 2026.
This case fits a larger pattern of violence that has grown since October 7. Western governments say that Iran and Iranian-backed organizations have been behind a series of plots and attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets. Twenty-four nations, including the United States and Britain, condemned these actions in June. They pointed to Iran’s intelligence services for “lethal plotting and other malign actions.” These groups have a long history of working with local criminal gangs to hide their tracks.
In Sweden, a live grenade was found at the Israeli embassy in January 2024. In Australia, a kosher restaurant in Sydney was set on fire in October 2024. Two months later, a synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed.
The US has also found its own plots involving money and surveillance. Federal prosecutors alleged in 2024 that an Iranian asset offered $500,000 to murder two Jewish Americans in New York. Another case involved an Iraqi national who provided photos and locations of a synagogue in New York. These actions show a coordinated effort to frighten Jewish communities and cause division within society. The courts are now looking closely at who said what and what they planned to do next.
