Man arrested, accused of threatening FBI director Christopher Wray online

WASHINGTON — A Georgia man has been indicted on allegations he threatened FBI Director Christopher Wray on 4chan, an Internet forum popular on the far right.

John Woodbury, 34, of Roswell, Georgia, was arrested Thursday after a federal grand jury indicted him this month on one count of interstate commerce threats and one count of threatening a federal law enforcement officer, according to the indictment. Following his arrest, Woodbury was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas.

“Let’s show them what a fucking ‘Nazi’ looks like…” Woodbury allegedly wrote in a 4chan post on June 7. “It’s time to burn these sons of bitches and hang them. Hit them where it hurts, hit Chris in his home.

Ryan K. Buchanan, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a news release Thursday that threatening to cause physical harm to a public official to “frustrate the administration of justice” is a crime.

“Director Wray and other law enforcement officials work tirelessly to safeguard our freedoms and protect our citizens from harm,” Buchanan said. “The threats against these public officials, who have dedicated themselves to enforcing our criminal laws, are especially heinous. Our office will remain steadfast in helping to ensure that public officials are able to perform their duties free from fear or intimidation.”

Court records do not yet indicate whether Woodbury has entered a plea, but criminal defendants almost always initially plead innocent. It was unclear Thursday whether Woodbury had an attorney.