FBI Director Kash Patel announced that agents had prevented a potential disaster by apprehending a man in North Carolina who allegedly threatened to carry out a mass shooting targeting Black children at a preschool.
Zachary Charles Newell, a 25-year-old resident of Newport, was arrested on Monday. He faces charges of interstate threat to kidnap or inflict harm, as per the criminal complaint filed on September 2 in North Carolina’s Eastern District.
“Threats of violence against children represent egregious acts of cowardice,” Patel conveyed in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The FBI collaborated swiftly with Carteret County partners to ensure the suspect was apprehended before he could take action. Parents should be assured that we will always act immediately to safeguard their children, schools, and communities.”
Zachary Newell, 25, is facing federal charges in connection with violent threats posted on YouTube. (Carteret County Sheriff’s Office)
“The FBI stands ready, alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, to investigate threats aimed at schools,” Barnacle stated. “This federal charge is a stark warning to those who think they can hide behind anonymity online and issue violent threats.”
According to the sheriff’s office, no specific preschool or educational facility was singled out in the threats, and there is no current threat of violence at any schools in Carteret County.
“The suspect’s online comments were violent, hateful, and morally shocking,” stated Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck to Fox News Digital. “Our office acted swiftly to detain this individual and worked in conjunction with the FBI to place him into federal custody. … Individuals making such threats will face the severest penalties permitted by law.”
The contents of the suspect’s alleged comments were not included in this report due to their highly disturbing nature.
