A Michigan man was charged with making death threats to Biden, Pelosi, and Whitmer on a meme website

• Michigan resident Joshua Doctor was arrested Monday on charges related to death threats made online.
• Doctor threatened to kill Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, prosecutors say.
• The threats were allegedly posted on the meme website iFunny, which has a large far-right userbase, according to BuzzFeed News.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

A Michigan man was arrested Tuesday on charges related to death threats he made against President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, state prosecutors announced.

Joshua Doctor, a 21-year-old from Holland, Michigan, made those threats on iFunny in January, the Michigan Attorney General’s office said in the statement. 

Doctor wrote in his posts that he would shoot and kill elected officials and “be the catalyst” for a revolution, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors also said they found bomb-making instructions on his smartphone.

The case was initiated by the FBI, following a top about Doctor’s alleged threats on iFunny, prosecutors said.

“Threatening elected officials is against the law and my office will prosecute those who attempt to intimidate or terrorize our state and federal leaders,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in the statement. “I appreciate the thorough investigative work by the FBI and Michigan State Police on this case, and I consider it another excellent example of showcasing the dedication that those working in law enforcement have to protecting the public.” 

Doctor turned himself in on Tuesday, prosecutors said. He was arrested on one count of terrorism and another count of using a computer to commit a crime. Additional court records weren’t immediately available. The Michigan Attorney General’s Office declined to offer additional charging documents. An attorney for Doctor couldn’t be immediately identified.

A representative for iFunny didn’t immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

iFunny is a meme website with a large far-right userbase, according to BuzzFeed News.

And Doctor isn’t the first iFunny user to be charged over threats made on the site. In 2019, 18-year-old Justin Olsen was arrested, and had dozens of his firearms seized, over mass shooting threats he allegedly made on the site.

Michigan Gov. Whitmer has become a particular target for extremists. In 2020, the FBI said it foiled a plot from a right-wing militia to kidnap her and overthrow the state government. 

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