A man facing charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was detained this week over allegations that he made threatening posts on social media about Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Attorney General Merrick Garland , and other officials.
A judge granted Department of Justice prosecutors’ request to rearrest Bradley Nelson, who was out on bail from his first arrest in March 2023 in connection with the Capitol breach, according to a court order .
Prosecutors said Nelson posted an image of Barrett alongside a vicious comment in June 2024.
“I pray to God with all my [expletive] heart that somebody cuts your [expletive] throat from ear to ear you worthless piece of [expletive],” Nelson wrote, according to prosecutors.
Nelson allegedly made the post one hour after the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Fischer v. United States, a ruling that could be favorable for Nelson because it involves one of the Jan. 6 charges he is facing. Barrett sided with three liberal justices in a dissenting opinion.
Nelson posted an image in July 2024 of Garland with crosshairs drawn on his head and an image in February 2024 of New York Attorney General Letitia James with crosshairs on her head, prosecutors said.
Nelson allegedly commented on the image of James that he would “give every [expletive] thing I have to watch that [expletive]’s head explode, or at least the back of her head blowout.”
In June, Nelson also posted videos where he made excessively “combative and confrontational” remarks about two FBI agents involved in his Jan. 6 case, including saying he wants to get into “the MMA ring with you two pieces of [expletive],” according to prosecutors.
Nelson is due to appear at some point for a revocation hearing where his detention will be examined further.
“While that date has not been set, the Court finds sufficient basis for detention for that (hopefully brief) period due to Nelson’s escalating rhetoric,” the judge wrote.
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The judge expressed the most concern about Nelson's alleged comments directed toward the FBI agents involved in his case. The judge said that while those appeared to be the least threatening of the social media posts, they were the most realistic given the agents are known to Nelson and work in the defendant's vicinity.
Nelson is awaiting a trial that is set for Dec. 10, according to court records. He is facing charges for nonviolent offenses, including obstructing an official proceeding, trespassing on restricted federal property, and disorderly conduct.
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