New York man arrested for threatening to murder US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar

The suspect allegedly said, "I'll put a bullet in her [expletive] skull."

April 6, 2019, 1:49 AM

A 55-year-old New York man has been arrested and charged with threatening to murder Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., of Addison, New York, may face 10 years in prison or a $250,000 fine, or both, U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement on Friday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey is handling the case.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 15, 2018 file photo, Rep.-elect IIhan Omar, D-Minn., center, listens during member-elect orientations on Capitol Hill in Washington. A western New York man has been charged with threatening to kill U.S. Rep. Omar of Minnesota.
In this Nov. 15, 2018 file photo, Rep.-elect IIhan Omar, D-Minn., center, listens during member-elect orientations on Capitol Hill in Washington. A western New York man has been charged with threatening to kill U.S. Rep. Omar of Minnesota.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

The arrest stems from a March 21 phone call received by one of Omar's staffers in which a man later identified as Carlineo allegedly said, "Do you work for the Muslim Brotherhood? Why are you working for her, she's a [expletive] terrorist. I’ll put a bullet in her [expletive] skull.”

The threatening call was referred to Capitol Police, who investigated in coordination with the FBI.

Carlineo appeared in court on Friday and is being held pending a detention hearing on April 10, according to a statement from the Justice Department.

Authorities didn't say when Carlineo was apprehended, according to The Associated Press, to which the suspect's attorney declined to comment.