A Gwinnett County man is accused of threatening to harm Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her family, prosecutors said Monday.
Aliakbar Mohammad Amin, 25, of Lilburn, was arrested Friday and charged with transmitting interstate threats after he allegedly sent text messages that stated how Gabbard and her family are “going to die soon” and that he will “personally do the job if necessary,” according to the Department of Justice.
“Threatening to harm public officials is a criminal act that cannot be excused as political discourse,” acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. said in a statement. “Our office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously prosecute individuals who commit these acts of violence.”
Gabbard, a former Democrat, served Hawaii’s second congressional district from 2013 to 2021. She joined the Republican Party in 2024 and is now the eighth director of national intelligence after being appointed by President Donald Trump.
On March 26, while speaking before the House Intelligence Committee, she said it was a “mistake” for national security officials to discuss sensitive military plans on a group text chain. That was after The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said he was added to a Signal messaging app group chat hours before strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen were ordered by the president.
The administration has faced backlash for allowing the reporter to be added to that chat and observe the sensitive material.
Amin allegedly sent his text messages across state lines between March 29 and April 1, according to a complaint.
“Death to America means death to America literally, Tulsi is living on borrowed time,” one message read.
The second stated that “the home you two own ... is a legitimate target and will be hit at a time and place of our choosing.”
“Prepare to die, you, Tulsi, and everyone you hold dear. America will burn,” another read, according to prosecutors.
Another text was sent to her husband that included a picture of Gabbard and stated: “Tell your wife to always be on her best behavior and not to disobey Mr. Vladimir Putin’s orders,” according to the complaint.
Federal law enforcement also found other “similar threats” allegedly made by Amin on social media in which he posted images of guns being pointed at both Gabbard and her husband, according to the DOJ. Agents later recovered a firearm during a search of Amin’s home in the 700 block of Stacey Court in Lilburn, according to police and prosecutors.
“It was their op, we just went along for the ride,” Lilburn police Capt. Scott Bennett said.
Amin was charged Friday via a previously sealed criminal complaint alleging a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c), the DOJ said. That section prohibits the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce for any demand of random, threat to kidnap or injure, whether they intend to extort that person or not. It also includes threats to harm the property or reputation of any person or a threat to accuse that person of a crime, the DOJ added.
In a social media post, FBI Atlanta said Amin also sent threatening communications to both Trump and the White House.
Amin recently made his first appearance in federal court, and his trial is pending, officials said. The case is being investigated by the FBI.
“The FBI sees all threatening communications as a serious federal offense. We will employ every investigative tool and resource available to identify those responsible and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Special Agent of FBI Atlanta Paul Brown said in a statement. “Let this arrest serve as a clear warning: If you engage in this kind of criminal behavior, you will be caught and you will go to prison.”
Amin is the latest person accused of threatening to harm politicians and national officials in recent years.
In 2017, a Georgia man sent messages threatening to “physically injure” U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Republican Sen. Timothy Scott of South Carolina. Jason Bell, of Cochran, pleaded guilty to two counts of anonymous telecommunications harassment and was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2018.
Also in 2018, federal prosecutors in New York arrested Donald DeRisi after he threatened to kill and assault two U.S. senators for their support of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. DeRisi was sentenced to 18 months in prison in June 2019.
In 2021, a Georgia man was arrested after sending text messages threatening to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Cleveland Grover Meredith was sentenced to 28 months in prison.
“Thinking about heading over to Pelosi (expletive) speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV,” one text read.
In 2023, Tabitha Davis was sentenced to jail after she sent messages that threatened Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. They were sent through the governor’s constituent services website, officials said. Davis was sentenced to four months of probation and 20 days in jail.
Then, earlier this month, a Pennsylvania man was charged after he allegedly made threats to assault and kill Trump, other U.S. officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Shawn Monper, 32, who went by “Mr. Satan” online, is accused of sending threatening statements between Jan. 15 and April 5, according to the DOJ.
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