A man from Texas accused of making threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem online has been instructed by a judge to stay in custody. The decision was made on Wednesday.
Robert King, aged 35, was charged with sending threats across state lines in federal court earlier in the week. Following a hearing in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Toliver mandated that he remain in detention, as confirmed by Fox News.
Toliver explained that King presents a risk of fleeing and poses a danger to society, leading to her decision to keep him in custody. This was the case even though his lawyer contended that he had no prior criminal record, did not possess any weapons, and had been actively seeking help for mental health problems such as depression and thoughts of self-harm.
King was upset by the ruling and was seen crying as he left the courtroom.
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“Just wanna double down on what I said the other day: if ICE comes to your neighborhood, f****** shoot them and kill them. No mercy for the Gestapo,” King wrote, according to federal prosecutors.
During his Wednesday hearing, a government attorney said King’s social media threats came to light through the national FBI tip line.Â
King was also living with his sister and brother-in-law, who is currently a police officer and a former Customs and Border Protection agent, when he allegedly made the threats, which resulted in him being thrown out of the house.
King was living with his sister and brother-in-law, who is currently a police officer and was formerly a Customs and Border Protection agent, when he allegedly threatened ICE agents and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
King will remain in Kaufman County detention, though his attorney wants to transfer him elsewhere so he has access to mental health and other medications. Â
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
