(Photo : Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)
A California man was arrested after making a threat to kill United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and traveled to his home. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske, called 911 and confessed his plans and was later arrested by police without incident.
Authorities arrested a man from California after the suspect threatened to kill United States Associate Justice BrettKavanaugh and is now facing a charge of attempted murder, said the Department of Justice.
Officials identified the suspect as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske, who appeared before Judge Timothy J. Sullivan in the US District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Wednesday afternoon to face his charge. Roske was dressed in a green long-sleeved shirt and dark pants and told Judge Sullivan that he knew why he was in court.
Plan To Kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh
The young suspect also noted that he had not had any alcohol or drugs in the last 24 hours prior to his court appearance. When asked if he understood what was happening, Roske said, "I think I have a reasonable understanding. I don't think I'm thinking clearly."
Roske admitted to taking medication within the past 24 hours, and after conferring with his attorney, public defender Andrew Szekely told Judge Sullivan he understood what was happening. The suspect was identified in a criminal complaint charging him with the attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice, as per Fox News.
When Roske arrived outside Justice Kavanaugh's home after roughly 1:00 a.m., he was dressed in black and had just gotten out of a taxi. The suspect was found to have been in possession of a Glock 17 pistol, ammunition, a knife, zip ties, pepper spray, duct tape, and other items that he said would be used to break into the Justice's home and kill him.
The suspect also said that he purchased the gun specifically to kill Kavanaugh and that he was planning to kill himself afterward. The 26-year-old told police that he was upset by a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court was about to overrule Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion case.
According to MSN, Roske was also angry about the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 young school children and two teachers. The suspect allegedly called the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center to say that he wanted to kill a Supreme Court justice.
Upset Over Roe v. Wade
The complaint added that Roske also told the call maker that he came from California to kill a specific United States Court Justice. Police were able to arrest the suspect at around 1:50 a.m. on Wednesday and took him into custody in Montgomery County, said a Supreme Court spokesperson.
Furthermore, the Montgomery County police said the case had already been transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The affidavit stated that Roske indicated that he believed the Justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws.
The affidavit added that when Montgomery County Police Department officers were dispatched and arrested the suspect without incident, he was still on the call with 911. A person familiar with the matter said that Kavanaugh and his family were at their home when Roske arrived and called 911, the Washington Post reported.
Related Article: US Security Report: Chinese Hackers Breach Major Telecom Companies, Exploit MS Office Weakness
