Crime & Public Safety
Clay County resident charged federally after online videos and texts threatening Jewish services
Federal authorities arrested a Clay County resident after videos posted on social media and alleged threatening text messages that referenced local Jewish services. The U.S. Department of Justice filed interstate transmission of threats charges in the Middle District of Florida against Duncan Fraser MacDonald, whom a criminal complaint lists as a Clay County resident.
According to the complaint and reporting by the FBI, investigators say social media videos showed a man displaying multiple firearms inside a home and referring to a “whole arsenal,” pointing the camera at a gun safe and identifying an object described as a flamethrower. In a later text exchange with a Jacksonville Jewish Federation official, the complaint alleges the defendant said a Friday shabbat “service tomorrow is gonna be epic.” The federation reported the materials to the FBI, which coordinated with local law enforcement to investigate.
Agency action included the FBI working with state and local law enforcement to locate and apprehend the suspect in Arizona, and federal prosecutors charging him in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The charging document and reporting identify the defendant as a Clay County resident; the allegations in the complaint are the basis for charges but remain allegations until proven in court.
The case currently proceeds in federal court under the filed complaint and charges; the FBI and cooperating local agencies remain listed as the investigating authorities in the matter.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.