A United States Postal Service (USPS) employee was apprehended on Sunday following a social media threat to carry out a mass shooting at a Pride parade in Texas, as per an announcement from the FBI on Monday.
Michael Thompson, a resident of Clovis, New Mexico, was detained after a tip-off alerted authorities to a potential mass casualty incident planned for a Pride event in Lubbock, Texas.
“This weekend’s arrest in Lubbock, Texas, exemplifies the exemplary teamwork between the FBI and our law enforcement partners, effectively averting a potentially lethal attack,” stated FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our agents, intelligence teams, and state and local partners in Texas acted promptly and thwarted the plan before any harm could occur.”
Authorities reported that Thompson confessed to posting and later deleting the threatening messages on social media. He also confirmed his employment with the USPS. News outlets have contacted the USPS seeking a statement.
The FBI confirmed on Monday that a man has been taken into custody for threatening a mass shooting at a Pride event in Lubbock, Texas. (Axel Schmidt/Reuters)
Authorities said they recovered four firearms from Thompson’s residence. He is legally prohibited from owning firearms due to a prior felony domestic violence conviction, according to the FBI.
Thompson is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm as well as transmitting threatening interstate communications.
“More lives saved thanks to good cops being cops,” Patel added.
Michael Thompson allegedly admitted to making and later deleting the posts, and authorities said they recovered four firearms from his residence. ( Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Investigators continued to interview Thompson on Monday, and he was expected to make his initial court appearance later that day.
Lubbock hosted its LubbockPRIDE festival over the weekend without incident, according to local reports.
“Yesterday was filled with so much love, fun, and community, and we couldn’t have asked for a better celebration,” organizers wrote on Facebook following the event. “Thank you to everyone who came out and made it so special!”
Organizers of a major pride event in Lubbock, Texas, said the event went on without any issues. (AP)
In a separate incident in Brunswick, Georgia, a man was arrested earlier this month after police said he threatened to attack attendees at a local LGBTQ+ Pride event. Christopher Waller, 25, was charged with making terroristic threats stemming from comments posted in a local Facebook group on June 9.