“Told By God To…”: US Man Charged Over Threat To President Biden
The US Secret Service on Saturday charged a man from Kansas with threatening to harm President Joe Biden.
The man, identified as Scott Ryan Merryman, has been charged with making threats against the President and with interstate communication containing a threat to harm, reported CNN.
He allegedly told agents that “he had been told by God to travel to Washington, DC to ‘lop off the head of the serpent in the heart of the nation'”.
Agents found Scott Ryan Merryman in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Wednesday, according to a criminal complaint.
He allegedly explained to the agents that he was heading to the White House because “he had to deliver a message to President Biden and advise him that people were fed up with the divisiveness in the country and to turn back to God (or go to hell),” reported CNN.
Secret Service agents said in the complaint that they had searched Merryman and found a magazine loaded with three rounds of .45 ammunition and spotting scope in his backpack — but no weapons.
They said Merryman had told them that God told him to bring the ammo and that the spotting scope was for “doing recon,” reported CNN.
He also called the White House switchboard, according to court records, and made threats against Biden. In the call to the White House, Merryman allegedly said he was “coming to the White House, and was going to cut off the head of the snake/anti-Christ.”
The White House operator called the Secret Service and an agent then spoke with Merryman. During the conversation with the agent, Merryman allegedly said, “I’m coming for his b*tch a** sleepy Joe. I’m talking about President Biden and you can quote me,” reported CNN.
The agent said Merryman continued making threats, saying, “I’m coming with three bullets no guns.”
“You got two minutes, and then I’m coming,” he told the agent, according to the complaint. “That’s it! You’re dead!”