A United States Postal Service employee was arrested Sunday after allegedly posting social media threats about carrying out a mass shooting at a Pride parade in Texas, the FBI said Monday.
Authorities identified the suspect as Michael Thompson of Clovis, New Mexico. He was taken into custody after investigators received a tip about a possible mass-casualty threat targeting a Pride event in Lubbock, Texas.
“This weekend’s arrest out of Lubbock, Texas, is the best of this FBI and our law enforcement partners in action—yet again stopping a potentially deadly attack thanks to brilliant execution from our teams and partners,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our agents, intel teams, and state and local partners out of Texas acted decisively and stopped him before he could act.”
According to authorities, Thompson acknowledged creating the social media posts and later deleting them. He also told investigators he worked for USPS. News Agency has contacted the Postal Service for comment.
The FBI said Monday that a man had been arrested after allegedly threatening a mass shooting at a Pride event in Lubbock, Texas. (Axel Schmidt/Reuters)
Investigators said four firearms were found at Thompson’s home. The FBI said he is barred from possessing firearms because of a previous felony domestic violence conviction.
Thompson faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and transmitting threatening communications across state lines.
“More lives saved thanks to good cops being cops,” Patel added.
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Michael Thompson allegedly admitted to making and later deleting the posts, and authorities said they recovered four firearms from his residence. ( Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Investigators continued to interview Thompson on Monday, and he was expected to make his initial court appearance later that day.
Lubbock hosted its LubbockPRIDE festival over the weekend without incident, according to local reports.
“Yesterday was filled with so much love, fun, and community, and we couldn’t have asked for a better celebration,” organizers wrote on Facebook following the event. “Thank you to everyone who came out and made it so special!”
Organizers of a major pride event in Lubbock, Texas, said the event went on without any issues. (AP)
In a separate incident in Brunswick, Georgia, a man was arrested earlier this month after police said he threatened to attack attendees at a local LGBTQ+ Pride event. Christopher Waller, 25, was charged with making terroristic threats stemming from comments posted in a local Facebook group on June 9.
