A Michigan man accused of threatening to kill individuals at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has allegedly told federal prosecutors that he was working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), according to the Detroit News.
Prosecutors reportedly convinced a federal magistrate judge to detain 32-year-old Arvin Raj Mathur as he awaited trial for allegedly emailing threats to nine people at the university, including students and professors in its anthropology department, the Detroit News reported. In the emails, Mathur allegedly told recipients that he would return to Madison the next week. (RELATED: Judge On Abortion Pills Case Said Court Received ‘Barrage Of Death Threats’)
Mathur allegedly “knowingly transmitted in interstate and foreign commerce communications containing threats to injure other persons,” according to court documents, CBS News reported.
“During the interview, Mr. Mathur initially indicated that his emails were hacked and he was not the sender of these emails,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Bilkovic said, the Detroit News reported. “When confronted with some facts tying him to these emails … he admitted sending all of these emails and admitted and explained that he was doing it at the direction of the CIA.”
NEW: A Michigan man accused of threatening to kill people at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their children told investigators he was working for the Central Intelligence Agency https://t.co/nIB8C4k5YC via @detroitnews
— Robert Snell (@robertsnellnews) March 15, 2023
One of Mathur’s alleged emails, obtained by WisLaw Journal, accused a professor of being linked to China.
“We at the CIA request that you report this to the police immediately, so that they know that you’re a FOREIGN SPY. If you don’t show them this very threat letter immediately, we will kidnap your daughters and skin them alive. This is an illegal threat, but we don’t care because we are the government. Tell the cops immediately if you love your children,” the email allegedly read, the outlet reported.