Tea Party Twitter Arrest: Daniel Hayden Threatened Mass Murder, Cop Killing

An Oklahoma man was arrested by FBI agents earlier this month for posting a series of messages on his Twitter account threatening to use a tax day Tea Party protest to commit politically-motivated mass murder.

"The WAR wWIL start on the stepes of the Oklahoma State Capitol. I will cast the first stone. In the meantime, I await the police," wrote Daniel Knight Hayden, 52, according to messages included in the FBI affidavit (posted below).

Another Twitter post began "START THE KILLING NOW!" Yet another: "Send the cops around. I will cut their heads off the heads and throw the[m] on the State Capitol steps," he wrote in one message.

Hayden was arrested for transmitting threats to kill or injure people using interstate communication tools over the internet. The AP reports that it isn't clear whether he's been charged.

Special agent Michael S. Puskas said that Hayden posted threats under the Internet name "CitizenQuasar." Puskas says agents also found a MySpace account using the name "Citizen Quasar" and on Blogger.com an online diary using the name "Quasar."

Wired.com's Threat Level reports that it "appears to be [the] first criminal prosecution to stem from posts on the microblogging site."

Hayden was arraigned on the 16th, and ordered released to a halfway house pending trial -- a move that suggests the magistrate judge does not consider him a genuine threat. Hayden's attorney declined to comment. California-based Twitter did not respond to an inquiry by Threat Level.

Here are Hayden's tweets, via the FBI affidavit:

7:59 p.m. "The WAR wWIL start on the stepes of the Oklahoma State Capitol. I will cast the first stone. In the meantime, I await the police."

8:01 p.m. "START THE KILLING NOW! I am wiling to be the FIRST DEATH! I Await the police. They will kill me in my home."

8:06 p.m. "After I am killed on the Capitol Steps like REAL man, the rest of you will REMEMBER ME!!!"

8:17 p.m. "I really don' give a shit anymore. Send the cops around. I will cut their heads off the heads and throw the on the State Capitol steps."

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The FBI affidavit:

daniel_knight_hayden_charges - Free Legal Forms

Comments

[ObamacratInCA]

08:59 PM on 04/27/2009

Houston, before you secede, we have a problem.

July 27, 2008 - Tennessee Church shooting

2 dead, 5 injured when Jim Adkisson fired a 12 gauge shotgun during a children's play at a socially liberal Tennessee church.

Investigators described him as a former member of an Army airborne unit who trained as a mechanical engineer . Out of work since 2006, he believed liberals were taking jobs he should have.

The following books were found in his home during a police search:

- Liberalism is a Mental Disorder by Michael Savage

- Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism by tSean Hannity

- The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life by Bill O'Reilly

December 9 2008 - Police discover materials for a “dirty bomb” at James G. Cummings home.

Cummings was killed by his wife in a domestic dispute. She told police that he subjected her to years of mental, physical and sexual abuse.

She also said that Cummings was “very upset” when Barack Obama was elected president.

April 4, 2009 - Pittsburgh police shootings

3 officers dead, 2 seriously injured in the worst police shooting in Pittsburgh history.

Richard Poplawaski's friend said he feared the "Obama gun ban was on its way."

April 2009 - FBI arrests Daniel Hayden for threatening to use a tax day Tea Party protest to commit politically-motivated mass murder.

His MySpace page is a calls gun control Nazi fascism, and warns of Barack Obama’s

[Epiphany2b]

04:39 PM on 04/27/2009

From my reading of his postings, there doesn't seem to be anything political in them at all. . . no protests against taxes, the stimulus, immigrants, Democrats, liberals, the president, anything that would indicate he was a Republican or a Conservative politically. It sounds like someone who is hoping the police will kill him so he doesn't have to commit suicide. That is certainly one way to do it.

[shastacola]

07:53 PM on 04/30/2009

You can't be serious. "The war will start on the capitol steps ,I will cast the first stone". You think it was just a coincidence that he was planning on "starting the war" on the capitol steps while the tea party was being held?

[Billar]

04:27 PM on 04/27/2009

Where was the tea party for the last eight years of the Republican borrow and spend!!!

[force fed up]

04:08 PM on 04/27/2009

so... is it possible the report by the DHS that right wing extremists was spot on? Will right wing pundits shut up now or will their mouths continue to flap to their false outrage?

If Fox News could ever be consistent, they would greet this man as one of their own and give him a show.

[Zen0469]

04:08 PM on 04/27/2009

Another wing.nut teabagger to join the Glen Beck Loon brigade.

[kasinca]

04:00 PM on 04/27/2009

These wingnuts are having a difficult time accepting their role of insignificance. To top it off, we the people elected a black man to show their man, W, up.

[Tyler-Durden]

03:51 PM on 04/27/2009

stories like this realy make me wonder how much effort is being made to incite an assassination attempt. it disgusts me.

[Tyler-Durden]

03:49 PM on 04/27/2009

first good reason for Twitter I've heard. sad, but people like this really need to be identified and isolated. we don't need another tim mc vey.

[DannyDanson]

03:35 PM on 04/27/2009

Yeah but the nutcake pundits on the Right are calling for Napalitano's resignation for even suggesting that there is a potential for right-wing politically motivated violence, even in the midst of massive gun purchase increases, direct threats and talk of secession and and revolution.

And just think this is the same party that flew over Katrina, stripped the influenza prepareness funds out of the stimulus and decried volcano monitoring as foolish, remind me again why people trust anything these loons say.

There where murders that occured during the primary season where democrats were targeted, yet our President was the one supposedly palling around with terrorist.

connect the dots......

[frybread]

03:12 PM on 04/27/2009

Another right-winger angry that his country is being run by a black man.

[prog]

04:03 PM on 04/27/2009

You nailed it.

[Incumbent]

03:09 PM on 04/27/2009

I would like to believe that our gun laws are strong enough to keep firearms out of the hands of people like this man, but I'm realistic enough to know that he could probably acquire an entire arsenal within a week's time. It doesn't matter how many cops this guy dreams of killing, as long as his right to bear arms is safe, all is well! Thanks, gun industry lobbyists!

[stondem]

01:35 PM on 04/27/2009

I am glad this guy was caught. It takes good citizens to turn in potential threats to this country. To bad Nancy Pelosi could not do the same when she knew about Torture.

[guinganbresil]

12:54 PM on 04/27/2009

BZ (Good Job!) to the FBI for checking this potential threat out. Characterizing the entire 'Tea Party' movement based on one mental patient does not lend credibility to any arguments against it - it just reveals intellectual laziness and a lack of understanding of the cause they support. I surveyed a tea party and did not see any indication of racism (fairly diverse cross section of fairly normal people for our locale). Most of the signs were opposing high government spending (~60%), concern for future tax increases (~30%) and to a lesser degree opposition to President Obama (~10%). Of the ~200+ signs I saw, the most extreme was a sign that had only the definition of Fascism (nothing indicating whether it refered to Obama or Bush...). Many of the signs indicated displeasure with both political parties. I checked out only one 'Tea Party' but I suspect it was representative.

[yellowdoggie]

01:36 PM on 04/27/2009

And I suspect you of not being entirely disinterested, hmmmm?

[biglefty]

01:39 PM on 04/27/2009

this tea party thing was totally manufactured by Faux Noise and the talk show comedians. I really get tired of hearing about it being a"bipartisan grass roots movement".This simply is-antiObama hysteria with a lot of racism mixed in there. As far as these nuts threatening violence,expect to see a lot more of it.The neocons want to gin up enough hysteria , because it just takes one nut to do what they really want which is to commit violence against the President . That would be their first hope and if not that they will hope for a terrorist attack . They want their power back at any cost.

[landoffools]

12:43 PM on 04/27/2009

A NEW poster boy for the GOP !

[hibbiejibbies]

04:32 PM on 04/27/2009

Joe the 'Twitter'! lol!

[Subterfuge]

04:43 PM on 04/27/2009

It's true. This man is obviously a victim.

[dm10003]

12:35 PM on 04/27/2009

it's time conservative groups start anger management programs.