A Clinton Township man is free on bond today after he was charged with posting threats on Twitter to kill FBI agents with 10 bombs and five guns he had stashed in his basement.
Joseph Todd Kowalczyk, 20, was arrested Tuesday by the FBI's counterterrorism team at his family's mobile home in Parkway Village off Gratiot Avenue, north of Mount Clemens. At an appearance in U.S. District Court, he was charged with transmitting a threat to injure.
Investigators said the suspect included the FBI's Twitter handle and the hashtag of #forwaco, a reference to the FBI's 1993 showdown at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas. Dozens of people were killed in the siege, including leader David Koresh.
According to a criminal complaint, the FBI received the threat at 7:28 p.m. Sunday from the Twitter account @JT616k. It stated, "I'm done joking this is a serious threat I have 10 bombs ready to go off rn in my basement with 5 guns that are illegal to own come get me you guys have till 8 before I make this city in my own little hell #forwaco."
The FBI's Office of Public Affairs reviewed the comment and forwarded it to the bureau's National Threat Operations Center in Clarksburg, W. Va., which is responsible for disseminating various intelligence to the appropriate FBI field office.
Court records show investigators made an emergency request to Twitter to provide information on the account and traced the phone number to Kowalczyk.
"Based on Kowalczyk stating that he had illegal firearms and explosive at his residence and intended to use them to injure individuals in his vicinity, the FBI considered this threat imminent and credible under the belief that death or serious injury would occur without law enforcement intervention," an FBI agent wrote in the complaint.
On Monday, agents and Clinton Township police went to the suspect's home, where he told them that he was "testing the government" and was upset the FBI did not respond promptly. He also claimed that he did not intend to carry through with his violent threats, and did not own any weapons or explosive devices, records show.
Kowalczyk told the agents he would refrain from posting anything further. But after investigators left, he logged onto Twitter at 11:56 a.m. to vent about how FBI agents waited so long to check out the posted threat.
He posted several more comments throughout the day, taunting agents and using various emojis. In his final tweet, the suspect said "my plan wasn't to f--- with fbi at 1st but now that ik that they are observing me I'm 100% gonna f--- with them."
The alleged threats come at a time when protests in numerous cities around the United States have taken place about restrictions placed by the federal government during the COVID-19 crisis.
Kowalczyk, who filed a request to be represented by a public defender, is due back in court on June 2 for a preliminary examination. He face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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Macomb County man accused of making bomb threats to FBI on Twitter - The Macomb Daily
