By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-21 17:22:04 | Updated at 2026-08-09 07:45:40
2 weeks ago
A black and Muslim sheriff recently received disturbing voicemail messages that called him a racial slur and threatened his life in graphic ways.
Pennsylvania Delaware County Sheriff Siddiq Kamara heard the messages Monday morning, which happened to be his birthday. The threats were made on Saturday, and the voicemails were left on the county's sheriff civilian hotline.
Kamara, 30, is the youngest sheriff in the country and the first Liberian-American elected to the office in Delaware County. He was sworn in on January 5.
He released the two voicemails, which investigators believe were left by the same person, to the public through his office's social media pages on Monday.
'Death to Islam,' the first threat began. 'I'm gonna find you (racial slur). I'm gonna hunt you. I'm gonna hunt you like I go hunting in Alaska. I'm gonna find your trail, and I'm gonna snipe you when you least expect it.'
'And I'm gonna force feed you your intestines,' the first threat concluded before the caller laughed maniacally.
The second threat also began with, 'Death to Islam,' before the caller continued, 'I will find you. I know where you are. You're an amateur. You sold your tell. I will find you. I will break you.'
Kamara addressed the disturbing messages in a lengthy statement on the Delaware County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
Pennsylvania Delaware County Sheriff Siddiq Kamara received voicemails on Saturday calling him a racial slur and threatening his life in graphic ways
Kamara is the youngest sheriff in the country, and he is the first Liberian-American to hold the office in PA's Delaware County. He is pictured getting sworn in on January 5
The Sheriff released the voicemails to the public on social media and provided this lengthy statement addressing the threats
'We are releasing the voicemail because the people of Delaware County deserve transparency and deserve to understand the seriousness of what occurred,' he said.
'There is a fundamental difference between criticism and criminal conduct. Public officials should expect scrutiny, disagreement, and accountability—that is part of our democracy,' the sheriff continued.
'But threats of violence, intimidation, and hate cross the line and will be treated accordingly.'
Kamara added that the threats have not intimidated him but in fact 'strengthened my resolve and reaffirmed why our mission matters.'
'We will continue moving this office forward with integrity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to public service,' he said. 'My commitment and the commitment of every deputy and professional staff member in this office has never been stronger.'
The sheriff told WPVI that he hopes the caller was not from Delaware County, 'but I don't know,' he said. 'I'm still trying to process all of this.'
During a separate interview with NBC10, Kamara discussed his family coming to the US after fleeing the civil war in Liberia when he was a child, saying it made him love America.
'This country is an amazing country. My family came from a war-torn country, and we have freedom of religion here, and you should be able to love who you want to love, pray who you want to pray to and have that freedom,' Kamara told the outlet.
Kamara said he was not intimidated by the threats and that they instead 'strengthened' his resolve
Audience members are pictured smiling and applauding as Kamara said he was the youngest sheriff in the country during his swearing-in ceremony
'That's what this country is about,' he added. 'It's distasteful. That shouldn't be allowed in this great nation at all,' Kamara said of the threats.
He told WPVI that he has received an outpouring of support from the community and other elected officials since releasing the voicemails.
The Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division of the District Attorney's Office is investigating the threats, and Kamara told WPVI that they have the means to track the number of the person who left the voicemails.
The Delaware County Council released a statement condemning the threats 'in the strongest possible terms.'
'Spirited disagreement with public officials is one thing, violent threats and attacks based on race and creed are quite another. Violence—or the threatening of its use—have no place in a democracy,' the council added.
'Delaware County Council stands together with Sheriff Siddiq Kamara and the entire team of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in condemning this action.'
The threats were also condemned by the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), which said the incident is a 'disturbing reminder of the hatred that too often targets public officials from historically marginalized communities.'
'Attacks like these are not only directed at one individual. They are intended to send a message of fear to entire minority groups – particularly the Black, immigrant, and American Muslim communities,' said CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Ahmet Tekelioglu.
The Delaware County Council released a statement condemning the threats against Sheriff Kamara. The statement is pictured in full
According to the organization, the threats against the sheriff came 'amid continued increases in reported bias incidents targeting Muslims, immigrants, and communities of color nationwide.'
CAIR's latest Civil Rights Report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025, which was the highest number recorded by the organization since it began publishing the annual report in 1996.
