Abortion Clinic Threat Suspect Sent FBI Tips About Himself: Feds

CHICAGO, IL — A Dyer, Indiana man is accused of making threats of violence against women's reproductive clinics in Chicago and Hammond and sending anonymous tips to the FBI warning that he was dangerous. Luke Daniel Wiersma, 33, was arrested Tuesday and is due to appear in U.S. District Court in Chicago, on Friday. He's accused of making online threats to burn down the clinics and warning clinic staff, "I will blow you up if I have to."

Wiersma also allegedly sent anonymous tips to the FBI identifying himself by name and saying, "“Luke Wiersma is a danger to society. He plans on committing crimes against abortion clinics."

A complaint filed this week said an investigation revealed the threats and FBI tips all came from Wiersma. Authorities said Wiersma voluntarily met with investigators on Tuesday and admitted to sending the messages.

The complaint says a message sent Oct. 10 to the Chicago clinic used the email address "luke@aog.org," a domain authorities believe stands for Army of God, an anti-abortion extremist group. The message read, "You will all (expletive) pay for what you do. If not by my hand it will be by somebody else's. I want you to burn, I want you all to die ... You and your clinic will be going down soon. Watch your back."

An Oct. 13 threat to the same clinic also used the @aog.org domain address, reading simply, "DIE, DIE, DIE." More threats were sent two days later, and on Oct. 29, another threat sent to the Chicago clinic said, "I will do anything and everything to stop the unmitigated murders of fetuses."

Wiersma allegedly continued, "I will do anything to stop the atrocities committed by your clinic every minute of every day at your clinic. You are all pieces of [expletive] and I will kill to stop these atrocities. ... I will do whatever is necessary I swear to God I will. After that you are in God’s hands and He will do His thing.”

A threat was sent to the Hammond clinic without a name or email address with similar language, including the "Die, die, die" phrase and "This is Gods (sic) retribution towards you and your kind."

More threats were sent to the Hammond clinic on Oct. 29, warning that clinic staff "will pay for what you have done," adding, "I have no quorum (sic) about going to prison ... so help me God I will die to protect the innocent."

Additional threats were sent to both clinics in October and November also using the "@aog.org" domain, according to the complaint, including a blatant threat saying, "I'm gonna kill you all and destroy your clinic. You will rue the dai (sic) you messed with The Army of God."

Then, on Oct. 28 and Jan. 20, 2018, someone sent anonymous tips containing some of the same phrasing seen in the clinic threats to to tips.fbi.gov warning that Wiersma was a danger. One tip read:

Luke Wiersma is a danger to society. He plans on committing crimes against abortion clinics. He has threatened to ‘do whatever is necessary to stop the unmitigated murders of fetuses at baby killing mills.’ I don’t know what he meant but I think he is possibly planning a violent attack.

While speaking with investigators on Tuesday, Wiersma initially denied knowing anything about the threats, according to the complaint. Authorities said he eventually admitted he'd sent them and told investigators, "I never intended to hurt anyone."

Wiersma is charged with transmitting threats to injure, punishable by up to five years in prison, and using threats of force to intimidate or interfere with reproductive health services, which could net up to a one-year sentence.

A detention hearing for Wiersma is scheduled for Feb. 9 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier in Chicago.

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