FBI arrests man who allegedly called The Boston Globe and said he'd 'kill every one of you'

(Image credit: Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)

published 30 August 2018

The FBI on Thursday arrested a man who allegedly made threatening phone calls to The Boston Globe, CNBC reports. Earlier this month, the newspaper announced that it would coordinate an effort with more than 350 other news outlets to publish editorials to denounce President Trump's anti-media rhetoric.

The man, Robert Chain of Encino, California, is suspected of calling the Globe more than a dozen times, threatening to kill staffers in response to the announcement. He said the staff was "the enemy of the people," echoing Trump's label for media organizations, and said he'd come "shoot you in the f--king head," reports NBC News.

Chain was charged with making threatening communications and will be transferred to Boston after appearing in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday. Boston police didn't think the threats were "super serious," reports The Hill, but they sparked increased security around the Globe's building. Jane Bowman, a Globe executive, told The Hill that the staff was grateful the FBI stepped in. "While it was unsettling for many of our staffers to be threatened in such a way," she said, "nobody — really, nobody — let it get in the way of the important work of this institution."

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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