A 41-year-old independent journalist, Jeffrey Stevens, who has contributed to the Arab American News, is facing a potential five-year sentence in a federal prison.
The charges stem from allegations that he threatened online to "kill every Jew" and "to make sure that every CIA member who is pro-Israel is eliminated."
Stevens, a resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is accused of sending these threats from September to December, using platforms such as Facebook Messenger and the Central Intelligence Agency's website. These allegations were detailed in a federal affidavit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
On November 20, Stevens allegedly sent a message to the Fort Wayne Police Department's Facebook account stating, "I am going to kill every Jew in Fort Wayne, and there is nothing you can do to stop it because you are stupid n______." He continued, "I am going to make sure I kill every one of you, especially the dark ones, and there is nothing you stupid n______ can (do) about it."
Upon questioning by federal agents, Stevens admitted to sending the posts, attributing his actions to alcohol, as per the 10-page affidavit. He is currently charged with interstate communication of a threat, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Michelle Kraus, Stevens' attorney in Indiana, was unavailable for comment when contacted on Monday.
Osama Siblani, the publisher of Arab American News, confirmed that Stevens was a freelance writer for the Dearborn-based publication. However, Siblani was unaware of Stevens' arrest. He clarified, "He didn't actually work for us, although his articles are on our website." Siblani acknowledged that Stevens was "definitely against Israel 100%," but added that most of his submissions were not published due to their failure to meet the publication's editorial standards.
The Arab American News website lists Stevens as "the founder and director of the Azarias Project, a 501c3 nonprofit organization publishing the truth from Gaza and the West Bank that isn't found through mainstream media."
Stevens has written 45 articles for the Arab American News since November 2022. His most recent piece, published on November 21, discussed concerns over "mysterious" military flights from Tel Aviv into Lebanon. Other articles by Stevens include a piece on legislators urging President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and a November 12 story titled, "President Biden quickly losing Arab support over genocide in Gaza."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was alerted to Stevens' posts about the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel by a concerned Facebook user on October 13, as per last week's federal indictment. One of the posts read, "Death to the Zionist," according to the indictment.
Following this tip-off, federal agents began investigating Stevens' online activity. The affidavit reveals that on September 28, Stevens posted on the Central Intelligence Agency's website, expressing his desire to be involved in anything against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government.
In subsequent messages to the CIA, Stevens allegedly threatened to eliminate pro-Israel US government officials and CIA operatives. He also claimed to have strong connections with Palestinian, Hezbollah, and Iranian contacts.
On February 2, federal agents executed a search warrant at Stevens' home, where he confessed to sending the messages. The indictment states, "Stevens also said that he has a drinking problem and that he does things when he is drunk, like the above post and message."
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