Chicago man charged with threatening shooting at synagogue

A Chicago man has been charged with threatening on social media to carry out a shooting at a synagogue earlier this month.

In a response to Israel’s official X account’s post about the death of Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Timothy Holmes, 31, wrote, “I’m going to shoot up a synagogue,” according to a complaint filed in federal court this month.

Khamenei was killed in an airstrike Feb. 28 led by Israel and the U.S.

The Israel account’s March 3 post was of a video from New York’s Times Square in which a video board displayed Khamenei’s image with a backdrop of the American flag and the words, “The world is a better place without Khamenei,” according to the complaint. The Israel account wrote in the post, “It’s a first step towards a better world.”

The FBI traced Holmes’ X account, under the name, “@MapleStCapital,” to an internet protocol address at his Chicago apartment, the complaint said.

Further investigation revealed Holmes had made other threatening posts on social media. In one, Holmes allegedly listed the U.S. address of an Israeli official’s relatives and wrote, “the jew will be destroyed and discarded.”

In another post on March 1, Holmes asked for the address of an Israeli official’s relatives in Florida and noted he was flying there that week, the complaint said.

Airline records showed Holmes flew to Florida on March 7 and had planned to return Tuesday, according to the complaint.

Holmes was arrested on March 18 in Florida, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

He appeared in court that day and was ordered released on a $100,000 bond. He also was ordered not to possess firearms or weapons, not to contact any victims or witnesses, and not to access social media or chat-based platforms while his case is pending. The federal court will monitor his electronic devices to ensure he complies with the order, the attorney’s office said.

Holmes was also ordered to remain within the boundaries of the U.S. District Courts of Northern Illinois and Middle District of Florida.