Chicago Man Charged With Threatening To “Shoot Up” a Jewish Synagogue

CHICAGO - The U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago has charged a man with making a threat to shoot up a Jewish synagogue.

On March 3, 2026, TIMOTHY HOLMES publicly posted on X, "I'm going to shoot up a synagogue," according to a criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Illinois. Holmes's post was made in reply to a post from @Israel, the Israeli government's official X account, concerning the death of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei in Iran, the complaint states.

The FBI National Threat Operation Section received information regarding the threat, which Holmes made using @MapleStCapital, his X account, the complaint states. Further investigation revealed additional threatening communications from Holmes's account this month, including a series of derisive posts concerning Jewish people, the complaint states. Holmes also posted the purported address in the United States of relatives of an Israeli government official, the complaint states.

The complaint charges Holmes, 31, of Chicago, with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person. Holmes was arrested on Wednesday morning in Florida and appeared that afternoon in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Over the government's objection, he was ordered released on a $100,000 bond subject to various conditions, including not possessing a firearm or dangerous weapon, not contacting victims or witnesses in the case, not accessing social media or chat-based platforms, allowing the U.S. District Court to install GPS monitoring and access his electronic devices to confirm compliance with the conditions, and limiting his travel to the Northern District of Illinois and the Middle District of Florida. Holmes will appear in federal court in Chicago on a date to be scheduled.

The complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Peabody.

"Anti-Semitism has no place in our society," said U.S. Attorney Boutros. "The U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago is using all available legal tools to combat criminal conduct that rears its head in hateful anti-Semitism. This Administration has made clear that threats and violence against the Jewish community will not be tolerated. Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we will find, prosecute, and hold accountable the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic threats and violence."

"The FBI works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year to swiftly detect and disrupt threats of violence across the country," said FBI SAC DePodesta. "Anti-Semitic speech and threats against the Jewish community are reprehensible, and our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners remain committed to holding accountable those seeking to intimidate or harm. Public tips are key in our shared effort of keeping Chicago safe. The public is encouraged to report any suspicious or threatening behavior immediately by calling 9-1-1, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), or online at tips.fbi.gov."

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.