Queens Man Accused Of Threats To Kill Members Of Congress: Feds

RIDGEWOOD, QUEENS — A Queens man who works for the state court system was arrested Tuesday after authorities accused him of posting online threats to kill members of Congress, including at the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden, according to federal court records.

Ridgewood resident Brendan Hunt was arrested by the FBI in an early-morning raid of his Gates Avenue home. He faces criminal charges of threatening federal officials.

Hunt, a part-time actor and filmmaker who worked for the New York State Office of Court Administration, is accused of using the alias "X-Ray Ultra" to post on Facebook calling for the "public execution" of federal representatives, according to the criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.

He is also accused of posting an 88-second video on the website Bitchute that urged viewers to show up armed in Washington, D.C., and shoot lawmakers, calling Biden's inauguration on Wednesday "probably the best time to do this," the complaint said.

Hunt's arrest comes as law enforcement officers across the country are bracing for potential violence by far-right groups aiming to disrupt the transfer of power from President Donald Trump to Biden, after extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 in a violent protest of the election results.

The Office of Court Administration suspended Hunt without pay after news broke of his arrest, a spokesperson told the New York Daily News.