- A man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening a mass shooting at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
- An FBI investigation determined that the man made 22 calls to CNN recently from a Detroit suburb, the local CBS affiliate in Atlanta reported.
- On one call, the CBS affiliate said, citing court documents, the caller called CNN "fake news," echoing a familiar insult President Donald Trump uses against the news network.
- The caller reportedly told a CNN operator he planned to "gun you all down."
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A Michigan man is facing federal charges over threats of a mass shooting at CNN headquarters
Brandon Griesemer is accused of calling in the threats from Michigan, according to the local CBS affiliate in Atlanta.
A man was arrested on suspicion of threatening to carry out a mass shooting at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, the local CBS affiliate WGCL reported on Monday.
A federal affidavit cited by CNN on Monday night identified Brandon Griesemer as the suspect believed to have made 22 calls to the news network from a Detroit suburb. In one of the calls, WGCL said, citing court documents, the caller called CNN "fake news," echoing the insult President Donald Trump often uses to describe the network and others whose reporting he dislikes.
According to court documents, the caller said: "Fake news. I'm coming to gun you all down."
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He reportedly continued: "I'm smarter than you, More powerful than you. I have more guns than you. More manpower. Your cast is about to get gunned down in a matter of hours."
Investigators traced the calls and later arrested Griesemer, who WGCL reports is 19 years old. He is facing charges of transmitting interstate communications with the intent to extort and threat to injure, CNN reported. He was released on $10,000 bond. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
Griesemer was already on the radar of law-enforcement officials after he called in threats to a mosque in Ann Arbor, Michigan, last September.
Trump has castigated news outlets and reporters as far back as his presidential campaign — at times singling them out individually during public speeches and on social media.
Media watchdogs and ethics experts have criticized Trump and allies of the president who parrot his attacks, which seem designed to delegitimize the news media.
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