Man charged with threatening to kill Indian-American presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
New York (PTI): A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with death threats aimed at Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and his campaign event attendees, the US attorney's office in New Hampshire has said.
The attorney's office on Monday said Tyler Anderson of Dover in New Hampshire was arrested on Saturday and charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur.
According to an FBI affidavit, the Ramaswamy campaign sent a text message on Friday to notify voters, including Anderson, about an upcoming campaign event in Portsmouth.
Anderson allegedly responded to the message: "Great, another opportunity for me to blow his brains out!"
He also said: "I'm going to kill everyone who attends" and added a vulgar description of what he would do to the bodies.
While the statement from the US attorney's office did not name which presidential campaign was targeted, Ramaswamy's team confirmed on Monday that he was the target, The Washington Post reported.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign, said on Monday: "Unfortunately it is true."
"We are grateful to law enforcement for their swiftness and professionalism in handling this matter and pray for the safety of all Americans," she added.
A statement from his staff then criticised the news media, "deranged voices" and "left-wing cranks", accusing the groups of inciting violence against the Republicans ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
"I'm grateful to the people on the front lines who work hard every day to make sure people like me and other Americans keep safe," Ramaswamy told reporters in New Hampshire.
"I think that we are very well protected," he added.
He declined to say when he found out about the alleged death threat or whether he would increase his security.
Ramaswamy's staff reported the threatening text messages to authorities, the FBI affidavit said.
Law enforcement officials searched Anderson's residence on Saturday, arrested him, and seized his phone and firearms.
While searching Anderson's phone, the affidavit says, authorities discovered the texts to Ramaswamy in a deleted folder and found additional threatening messages to another candidate.
According to the affidavit, one message sent on Wednesday said: "Fantastic, now I know where to go so I can blow that b------'s head off."
Subsequent texts were referring to "a mass shooting" and intentions to defile a corpse.
Anderson admitted to sending the text messages to Ramaswamy and confirmed that he sent threatening texts to other campaigns, according to the affidavit.
A businessman and a Republican presidential candidate, Ramaswamy went on to hold the event in Portsmouth on Monday.
If convicted, Anderson could face five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a USD 250,000 fine.
Threats of violence against politicians are up, Forbes cited a recent University of Massachusetts-Amherst survey of nearly 300 former members of Congress as suggesting.
The survey found 47 per cent reported receiving threats while in Congress, with those who were first elected more recently experiencing a higher number of threats than those first elected earlier.
The numbers were split fairly evenly across party lines, but women and people of colour reported receiving threats at a much higher rate of 69 per cent, Forbes reported.
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Father responds to age fraud allegations against IPL history's youngest buy 13 yr old Vaibhav
New Delhi (PTI): When Sanjiv Suryavanshi sold his farm land to fund his 10-year-old son Vaibhav's cricketing aspirations, little did he know that within three years the boy would be scripting history.
During the second and final day of the IPL mega auction in Jeddah, Vaibhav, at 13 years and eight months, became the youngest cricketer ever to be picked by a franchise as Rajasthan Royals bought him for Rs 1.10 crore.
Sanjiv, who owned farm land in his native Motipur village which is 15kms from Samastipur town in Bihar, was lost for words.
"Woh ab sirf humra bituwa nahi pura Bihar ka bituwa hai (He is not just my son now but entire Bihar's son)," Sanjiv told PTI over phone as his son is currently in Dubai for the U-19 Asia Cup.
"My son has worked hard. At the age of 8 years, he excelled at U-16 district trials. I would take him for his cricket coaching to Samastipur and then take him back," he recalled the days of hardships.
So were his finances in place as cricket is an investment?
"Not just investment, it's big investment. Aapko kya bataye humne toh apna zameen tak bech diya. Abhi bhi halat pura sudhra nahi (I have sold my land. Financial issues are still there)."
When asked about the controversies regarding Vaibhav's actual age which many believe is 15 years, the father was quick to clarify.
"When he was 8 and half years old he first appeared for BCCI bone test. He has already played India U-19. We don't fear anyone. He can again undergo age test," he sounded defiant.
Sanjiv said that Bihar Cricket Association president Rakesh Tiwary's "blessings" have always helped Vaibhav in his journey.
"Rakesh ji ka ashirwaad raha hai bahoot (Rakesh ji's blessings are there)."
His base price in the auction was Rs. 30 lakh and Delhi Capitals made the opening bid. RR entered the fray at Rs. 35 lakh and eventually got the better of DC to get the player on board.
So how did this bidding war happened?
"Rajasthan Royals had called him for trials in Nagpur. Vikram Rathour sir (batting coach) gave a match situation where he had to score 17 in an over. Bituwa ne 3 chakka mara. Trials mein aat chakka aur char chauwaa mara (He smashed three sixes. At trials, he hit eight sixes and four fours)," the father claimed proudly.
For a 13-year-old, it can be very difficult to understand what it means to earn a crore. So how does he plan to keep his young son away from monetary discussions?
"He just wants to play cricket and nothing else. A few years back he loved Doremon, not anymore," Sanjiv said.
BCA lauds selection
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BCA president Tiwary was all praise for the prodigy after his 1.10 crore bid for RR.
"Vaibhav Suryavanshi's incredible achievement at such a young age fills us with immense pride," Tiwary said in a statement.
"His journey from Bihar to the IPL is a reflection of his talent, hard work, and determination. The Bihar Cricket Association has always believed in nurturing young talent, and Vaibhav's success highlights the cricketing potential in our state.
"We are confident he will continue to shine and inspire aspiring cricketers across Bihar and beyond. I congratulate Vaibhav and his family."
