A Minnesota man was arrested this month after allegedly posting an online threat offering $45,000 for the killing of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to court documents.
FBI Special Agent Caleb Jurchisin wrote that the post included a comment below the image of Bondi from the suspect that read “‘cough cough’/‘when you don’t serve us then what?’”.
The post, investigators say, appeared on a TikTok user page bearing symbols and materials associated with anarchism. The same account also featured an “Anarchist FAQ book” pinned to its profile and used a username containing an anarchy symbol, according to the affidavit by Special Agent Jurchisin.
'Murder for Hire' Threat
The case began on Oct. 9, when a TikTok user in Detroit reported the video to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center after it appeared on their feed. The tipster described it as a “murder for hire” threat against Bondi and provided the account's username.The FBI launched an investigation to locate the source of the threat, which it described as a violation of federal law prohibiting the interstate transmission of threats to injure another person.
According to Jurchisin’s affidavit, FBI agents in Detroit sent emergency requests to TikTok, Google, and Comcast to identify the account’s user. Records from TikTok showed the account had been created Sept. 7 using a Samsung Galaxy phone and registered through a Google account linked to an email.
Further records from Google traced recent activity to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and revealed another associated email account that appeared to match the suspect’s name and birth year, investigators said.
Comcast confirmed the IP address used to create the account was registered to a St. Paul residence subscribed under Avalos’ name.
Agents surveilling the address on Oct. 16 saw Avalos leaving the building around 2:40 p.m. and confirmed a mailbox labeled “T Avalos” matched the apartment number listed by Comcast.
Anarchist With a Criminal History
Investigators wrote that Avalos identifies as an anarchist and has a criminal history in multiple states, including a felony stalking conviction in Dakota County, Minnesota, in 2022, and a domestic battery conviction in 2016 in Polk County, Florida. He also has a 2019 misdemeanor battery conviction in Dakota County that was apparently reduced from a felony domestic assault by strangulation charge.Jurchisin, assigned to the FBI’s Minneapolis Division, said in court documents that he specializes in violent crime investigations, including cases involving domestic terrorism. He wrote that based on his training and experience, anarchism “advocates for the replacement of the state with stateless societies and voluntary free associations.”
Both TikTok and Bondi’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.