U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a person on fees of aggravated menacing for attempting to run Rep. Max Miller of Ohio off the street Thursday in Rocky River, a suburb of Cleveland.
Mr. Miller, one of many few Jewish Republicans in Congress, posted a video to social media describing the incident, wherein he was run off the street by a person with a Palestinian flag.
“As I used to be driving to work, some unhinged, deranged man determined to put on his horn and run me off the street when he couldn’t get my consideration to indicate me a Palestinian flag,” the congressman mentioned. “To not point out, demise to Israel, demise to me – that he needed to kill me and my household. Thank God my daughter was not in my automobile, or anyone else on the time.”
Mr. Miller mentioned he knew the person’s identification and filed stories with the U.S. Capitol Police and the native police division.
Capitol Police deployed particular brokers to Ohio to work with native police to find and arrest 36-year-old Feras S. Hamdan of Westlake, Ohio. He was arrested on fees of aggravated menacing; authorities mentioned the investigation remains to be unfolding, which suggests extra fees are potential.
Police mentioned Mr. Hamdan, with counsel, voluntarily turned himself in and is awaiting a courtroom look.
“In lower than 24 hours, the USCP acquired notification of a menace towards a Member of Congress, had boots on the bottom, collaborated with the native police division, and the suspect within the case was arrested that very same night,” appearing Capitol Police Chief Sean Gallagher mentioned in an announcement. “This case is a chief instance of the USCP’s stance in direction of threats towards our elected officers. We are going to proceed to have a zero tolerance coverage.”
Rocky River police mentioned the incident occurred on Interstate 90 and that the suspect’s automobile left the world earlier than responding officers arrived.
Mr. Miller filed a movement for a felony safety order towards Mr. Hamdan, along with supporting the aggravated menacing cost.
“I’ve gone about my day, I’ve carried on my conferences, and we won’t disguise,” he mentioned. “And I’ll proceed to battle towards antisemitism, Islamophobia and all different types of hate. You may have a problem, take it to our workplace. You wish to run me off the street, that’s a distinct story.”
The FBI, Ohio State Patrol and federal and native prosecutors are working with Capitol Police and the Rocky River Police Division within the ongoing investigation.
Home leaders in each events condemned the assault on Mr. Miller, which comes lower than per week after a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband have been assassinated in a bigger plot focusing on elected officers.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, mentioned the assault on Mr. Miller is “one other outrageous instance of unhinged rhetoric inspiring unstable folks to threaten and assault elected officers who’re serving their communities.”
“We should flip down the temperature on this nation,” he mentioned.
Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California issued a joint assertion condemning the assault on Mr. Miller “within the strongest potential phrases” and mentioned they have been grateful he and his household are secure.
“The rise in political violence on this nation is unacceptable,” they mentioned. “This can be a second of disaster that requires Congress to behave decisively in an effort to guarantee the protection of each single member who serves within the Individuals’s Home.”