A 38-year-old Philadelphia man was charged today with threatening to kill Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) in a profanity-strewn Youtube video that has since been pulled down.
In the video, Norman Leboon says Cantor will “receive my bullets in your office, remember they will be placed in your heads. You and your children are Lucifer’s abominations.”
The San Francisco office of the FBI received a copy of the video on March 26, according to the affidavit in the case. You can read the press release and affidavit on the case here.
The affidavit paints a picture of Leboon as a deeply disturbed person. When he was visited by federal agents on Saturday, he “stated that he is the ‘son of the god of Enoch’ and that his father speaks through him. Leboon stated that Eric Cantor is ‘pure evil’; will be dead; and that Cantor’s family is suffering because of his father’s wrath.”
He also told agents that “he had made over 2,000 videos in which he made threats.”
Leboon allegedly told agents during their visit that he made the Cantor threat video “approximately three days” before, which would be March 24 — last Wednesday.
The authorities have not made a connection between the Leboon video and the bullet that landed in Cantor’s Richmond campaign office early in the morning last Tuesday after what police described as an act of random gunfire.
That incident occurred the day before Leboon allegedly made the video. Cantor described the bullet incident in a press conference Thursday, March 25.
Cantor Spokesman Brad Dayspring released this statement today:
Over the weekend, Congressman Cantor was notified by law enforcement that a threat was made against his life. Law enforcement officials informed Congressman Cantor that the threat was determined as credible and they were responding accordingly. The Congressman was later notified that an arrest was made and a suspect was in custody.
At this time, the Congressman will have no further comment on this threat or the investigation, and asks that inquiries be directed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Congressman is deeply grateful for, and would like to dearly thank all local and federal law enforcement involved, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia and Philadelphia, U.S. Capitol Police and the Henrico Police Department in Virginia.
Many of Leboon’s videos appear to have been removed from YouTube. But in one clip dated Aug. 23, 2009 that bears his name, he appears to be reading, shirtless, from the Koran. “That he may punish the hypocrites … men and women who imagine an evil opinion of Allah … the wrath of Allah is on them.”
“I have been warning you all,” Leboon says, citing governments and satellites. “You know who I am and what I am.” The YouTube description on that clip is “You have been warned Leaders.”
He seemed to warn repeatedly about some sort of end-times event to come on Sept. 19, 2009. “You will beg to have your head chopped off … the angels are hear all of them and god is preparing his wrath. Soon very soon you will all know it and then destruction,” he said to the camera in the shirtless video.”
Videos tagged with his name involved everything from the stock market collapse to the kids’ movie “Babe,” and he seemed to have talked about politics and world leaders including President Obama. He also says in another video where he talks about child molestation, “Leaders you will perish” and ” I control your jets your missiles, I control everything.”
In yet another video, Leboon seems to threaten Obama.
“President Obama, you and Vice President Biden and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and your Security Council say very bad things about me,” he says “Your punishment is coming, the swine, it will be severe, and you will beg for mercy to your god. It will be severe, you will know god’s swine, god has warned you.”
(Additional reporting by Christina Bellantoni and Jillian Rayfield.)
