Kansas Man Arrested for Threatening to Murder Ben Shapiro on Yom Kippur

A 29-year-old Kansas resident, Corbin Allen Strow, has been arrested and charged with 23 counts of making online threats of murder and bodily harm, under circumstances of hate crimes, against conservative commentator Ben Shapiro. According to court documents, Strow posted explicit antisemitic threats on X, formerly Twitter, including countdowns to Yom Kippur. Posts made between July 31 and August 2 threatened to murder Shapiro "because he is Jewish," alongside antisemitic references to "heaven," "Tel Aviv," and "foreign government," while noting "51" or "52 days" remained until the target date. The investigation utilized data from X, Google, and Starlink internet provider, which linked the deleted account to Strow and his address. On August 4, a Secret Service agent and a police officer visited Strow's home as part of a separate investigation into threats against the President. During questioning, Strow admitted to owning three different X accounts and posting the threats, even before the agent was aware of the specific threats against Shapiro. Another of Strow's active accounts revealed a series of threats and countdowns against other political and media figures, including former President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and host Joe Rogan.

Shapiro, who resides in Boca Raton, Florida, told investigators he learned of the threats through his security chief after intelligence personnel alerted him to the posts. He noted the threats were not implied and the countdown added a dimension of seriousness, indicating planning for a specific date. Shapiro added that while the threats increased his anxiety, he did not change his daily routine, emphasizing that his Jewish identity was a central motive for the actions. Prosecutors are seeking to classify the charges as hate crimes based on religious discrimination.