Federal authorities in Texas have arrested a man accused of threatening to shoot participants at a Pride parade in Abilene, in what he described as retaliation for the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
According to court documents, Joshua Cole allegedly posted messages on Facebook under the name ‘Jay Dubya’ on 18 September, vowing to carry out an attack. In one post, he wrote: “Fk their parade, I say we lock and load and pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk.” Another comment read: “come on bro let’s go hunting fairies,” using a derogatory term for LGBTQ+ people.
The FBI traced the account to Cole, who worked locally. When agents attempted to contact him at his workplace, his employer said Cole had “just quit” and “stormed out”. He was later stopped by police and, according to an FBI affidavit, appeared unsurprised. Cole waived his rights and admitted to owning a firearm, operating the account, and posting the threats, though he denied intending to act.
FBI Special Agent Sam Venuti stated that the threats were “specific” and “not conditional”, targeting participants of the Pride parade. Cole faces a federal charge of transmitting threatening communications, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A judge ordered him to remain in custody pending further proceedings.
The Abilene Pride Alliance released a statement on 26 September, thanking authorities for their “swift action” and affirming that safety remains the top priority. The Trump administration has not commented on the arrest.
