By The Independent (World News) | Created at 2024-10-23 15:15:23 | Updated at 2024-10-23 17:53:03
2 hours ago
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An Arizona man has been arrested in connection to a series of attacks on a Democratic National Committee office in the state and is “associated with a suspicious substance on homemade political signs,” according to authorities.
Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, was arrested on Tuesday night by Tempe Police and charged with six felony counts, including unlawful discharge of a firearm, shooting at a non-residential structure and committing an act of terrorism, and three misdemeanor counts of criminal discharge, authorities said.
The arrest comes after police reported three shootings in a matter of weeks at the DNC Tempe office building. The first incident occurred on September 16 followed by another on September 23.
The most recent incident occurred on October 6, when the building was damaged by BB Gun and firearm rounds, authorities said at the time. All of these incidents occurred between midnight and 1am, police said.
The DNC office includes space for the Kamala Harris campaign, the Arizona Democratic Party, and campaigns for Democratic House and Senate candidates, according to NBC News.
Kelly is also accused of putting “suspicious bags of white powder from several political signs lined with razor blades that he posted in Ahwatukee,” a suburb southeast of Phoenix, ABC15 reported.
The substance inside was ultimately determined to be non-hazardous. The signs boasted a wide-range of anti-Democrat messages, from “Never Harris” to “Dems Kill Jews,” photos by AZ Family reveal.
Tempe Police told The Independent in a statement that Kelly is “associated with a suspicious substance on homemade political signs” but would discuss the charges related to the matter at 4pm press conference on Wednesday. The Independent has reached out to the DNC and the state Democratic Party for comment.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, Kari Lake’s campaign office on Tuesday reportedly received a suspicious substance in an envelope. Phoenix Fire determined the substance to be non-hazardous. “There was no immediate threats to the community and the occupants of the building will be allowed access shortly,” Phoenix Police told 12News.
The Republican Arizona Senate candidate’s campaign wrote in a statement: “Earlier today, a package labeled as anthrax was delivered to Kari Lake’s office. Thankfully, authorities later confirmed that it was not.” Meanwhile, Lake blamed “the radical left, with help from the mainstream media” as being responsible for the incident.
The Independent has reached out to Phoenix Police for more information.
These allegations come after a barrage of political violence incidents leading up to the hotly contested 2024 election.
Donald Trump has faced two assassination attempts in the past few months. The first occurred on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania when shots were fired at the former president during a rally. While he suffered a wound to his ear, one spectator died and others were injured. The Secret Service killed the shooter at the scene.
Two months later in September, a man was camped outside the former president’s West Palm Beach golf course with an assault rifle, waiting for Trump to pass by. A Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of the gun poking through a fence at a spot a few hundred yards away from the former president.
