A United States Postal Service (USPS) employee was taken into custody on Sunday following allegations of threatening a mass shooting at a Pride parade in Texas, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Monday.
Michael Thompson, a resident of Clovis, New Mexico, was arrested after law enforcement received a tip concerning a potential mass casualty attack targeting a Pride event in Lubbock, Texas.
"This weekend’s arrest out of Lubbock, Texas, is the best of this FBI and our law enforcement partners in action—yet again stopping a potentially deadly attack thanks to brilliant execution from our teams and partners," stated FBI Director Kash Patel. "Our agents, intel teams, and state and local partners out of Texas acted decisively and stopped him before he could act."
Investigators reported recovering four firearms from Thompson's residence. The FBI indicated that Thompson is legally barred from possessing firearms due to a previous felony conviction for domestic violence.
Thompson has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and with transmitting threatening interstate communications.
"More lives saved thanks to good cops being cops," Patel added.
As of Monday, investigators were continuing to interview Thompson, and his initial court appearance was anticipated later that day.
The LubbockPRIDE festival proceeded as planned over the weekend without any reported incidents, according to local media accounts.
"Yesterday was filled with so much love, fun, and community, and we couldn’t have asked for a better celebration," organizers posted on Facebook after the event. "Thank you to everyone who came out and made it so special!"
Separate Incident in Georgia
In an unrelated event earlier this month, a man in Brunswick, Georgia, was arrested after allegedly threatening attendees at a local LGBTQ+ Pride event. Christopher Waller, 25, faces charges of making terroristic threats. These charges stem from comments he reportedly posted in a local Facebook group on June 9.
