MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged an Alabama man, Jeremy Wayne Shoemaker, with making threatening calls and texts directed at multiple rabbis and an imam throughout the South. One of the threats included a message stating, I want you to die.
Shoemaker, who resides in Needham, Alabama, faces a charge for making an Interstate Communications Threat. Prior to this federal charge, he was arrested on related state charges for resisting arrest and illegally possessing a firearm.
An FBI investigation revealed a series of menacing communications from Shoemaker to various religious figures, including rabbis in Alabama and Louisiana and an imam in Georgia, alongside messages to a church in North Carolina. Authorities reportedly found weapons in his home, along with a suitcase filled with ammunition and documents detailing the names and addresses of various religious leaders.
The investigation also points to a diagnosed mental illness in Shoemaker, as shared by his grandmother with FBI agents. Despite this diagnosis, he had reportedly refused to adhere to his prescribed medication, contributing to his subsequent behavior.
The threats initiated when Shoemaker began contacting a rabbi in Mountain Brook, Alabama, leading to connections with other victims. In one of his emails, he declared, “I continue to push the Muslimeens to kill you Rabbis,” further alarming investigators.
In another shocking statement, Shoemaker insisted, “I’m telling you directly, I want you to die because you want the death of us,” complicating the already tense situation regarding religious safety in the region.
This incident raised concerns as local law enforcement agencies, including the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, responded to allegations of credible threats against synagogues across Alabama and its neighboring states. Shoemaker is now being held in the Choctaw County Jail while federal charges are processed.
Shoemaker, who resides in Needham, Alabama, faces a charge for making an Interstate Communications Threat. Prior to this federal charge, he was arrested on related state charges for resisting arrest and illegally possessing a firearm.
An FBI investigation revealed a series of menacing communications from Shoemaker to various religious figures, including rabbis in Alabama and Louisiana and an imam in Georgia, alongside messages to a church in North Carolina. Authorities reportedly found weapons in his home, along with a suitcase filled with ammunition and documents detailing the names and addresses of various religious leaders.
The investigation also points to a diagnosed mental illness in Shoemaker, as shared by his grandmother with FBI agents. Despite this diagnosis, he had reportedly refused to adhere to his prescribed medication, contributing to his subsequent behavior.
The threats initiated when Shoemaker began contacting a rabbi in Mountain Brook, Alabama, leading to connections with other victims. In one of his emails, he declared, “I continue to push the Muslimeens to kill you Rabbis,” further alarming investigators.
In another shocking statement, Shoemaker insisted, “I’m telling you directly, I want you to die because you want the death of us,” complicating the already tense situation regarding religious safety in the region.
This incident raised concerns as local law enforcement agencies, including the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, responded to allegations of credible threats against synagogues across Alabama and its neighboring states. Shoemaker is now being held in the Choctaw County Jail while federal charges are processed.
