San Luis Obispo Man Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges Over X Threats to Bomb Synagogues

Overview

• A federal grand jury indicted Elijah Alexander King, 36, on three counts: threats and false information regarding fire and explosives, threats by interstate communication, and false information and hoaxes.
• Prosecutors say an X account linked to King posted a plan to “blow up every synagogue in a 20-mile radius” on August 28 and then asserted the warning was a real threat.
• About ten minutes after the posts, investigators say the user repeatedly searched for nearby synagogues using a cellphone browser.
• Law enforcement sent King for psychiatric monitoring that day, and court filings say the account later referenced a three-day hold and amplified antisemitic content.
• Court documents cite earlier antisemitic rhetoric praising Hitler and images of weapons, note racist messages to a detective in September and October, and state the FBI is investigating with prosecutors Laura A. Alexander and Jenna W. Long; the top count carries up to 10 years in prison and the others up to five.