Nicholas Roske, the California man who told police he was upset about mass shootings and the looming Supreme Court rulings on abortion and gun rights after he was arrested last week on suspicion of trying to kill or kidnap conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, has been indicted on charges of attempting ''to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice of the United States,'' CBS News reports.
Federal officials said they sought to seize a Glock handgun, 37 rounds of ammunition, a ''black speed loader,'' hard-knuckled gloves, pepper spray, a knife, lock-picking tools and a black mask.
Roske was arrested in the early hours of June 8 outside Kavanaugh's house in Chevy Chase, Maryland, carrying a semi-automatic Glock 17 pistol, a knife and a tactical vest, according to documents filed in federal court.
The 26-year-old was arrested by local police while he was still on the phone.
He later told police that ''he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding the right to abortion, as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas," an FBI affidavit said.
"Roske indicated that he believed the justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws," it added.
The House gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that would allow around-the-clock security protection for families of Supreme Court justices.
The Senate passed the bill unanimously last month, but it languished in the House as Democrats sought to broaden the measure to include protection for families of court employees. Republicans ramped up pressure to pass the bill after the arrest near Kavanaugh’s house, asserting that Democrats were essentially trying to intimidate the justices as the court weighs a potential landmark ruling on abortion.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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