A Tucson man was arrested Wednesday and charged after allegedly emailing threats of mass bombings targeting the White House and other locations in Washington.
“We must take threats of violence like this one seriously,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in an Oct. 8 statement announcing the case.
Hicks has been charged with making an interstate threat to injure. Authorities said the investigation began after a Tucson news station received a threatening email on Sept. 23 and notified law enforcement.
According to prosecutors, the email warned of an imminent bombing at the White House and other locations in Washington. Investigators later identified Hicks as the sender.
Authorities also discovered unsent drafts in the same email account containing similar threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The drafts, also dated Sept. 23, were addressed to other news organizations.
Further Threats Alleged
Tucson station KOLD also reported additional allegations, including an earlier text message where Hicks allegedly discussed access to anthrax to attack Tucson and C4 explosives to target a federal building.
Prosecutors said the case falls under an initiative based on National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, a White House directive addressing domestic terrorism and organized political violence. President Donald Trump signed the directive in September 2025.
The FBI is investigating the alleged threats with assistance from the Secret Service, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“The FBI remains steadfast in its mission to defend the United States against criminal and national security threats and will investigate them to the fullest extent of the law,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day.
“We appreciate the community partner who reported the threat to law enforcement. Cooperation and partnership are essential to protecting the American people,” she said.
Rising Political Violence
The National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 cites several high-profile incidents as examples of rising political violence, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, multiple attempts on Trump’s life, and an attack on an ICE facility in Dallas.
“This political violence is not a series of isolated incidents and does not emerge organically,” the memorandum states.
“Instead, it is a culmination of sophisticated, organized campaigns of targeted intimidation, radicalization, threats, and violence designed to silence opposing speech, limit political activity, change or direct policy outcomes, and prevent the functioning of a democratic society.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents after a shooter attempted to assassinate him during a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Trump survived an assassination attempt in July 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania, after Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire. The shooting wounded Trump, killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore, and seriously injured two other attendees. Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
Trump was also targeted in a September 2024 plot at his Florida golf course, and the suspect Ryan Routh received a life sentence.
Cole Tomas Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump following the April 25, 2026, shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. He is in federal custody while awaiting trial.
