Feds: Man Threatens To 'Burn' Down Abortion Clinic Then Warns FBI About Himself
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Luke Wiersma anonymously threatened the staff of a Chicago abortion clinic last fall, warning in a note he would "blow you up" and "burn the clinic down," the feds say.
But anonymous messages were being sent to the FBI at the same time.
"Luke Wiersma is a danger to society. He plans on committing crimes against abortion clinics. He has threatened to 'do whatever is necessary to stop the unmitigated murders of fetuses at baby killing mills.' I don't know what he meant but I think he is possibly planning a violent attack," one anonymous message said.
It turned out both sets of messages came from Wiersma, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday. And now, he faces a maximum of six years in prison after allegedly admitting he sent threats to clinics in Chicago and Hammond.
Wiersma, 33, appeared in an orange jumpsuit Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier, who ordered him held in custody until a detention hearing Friday. The Dyer man choked up and wiped tears from his eyes after a prosecutor explained the potential consequences of his actions.
His defense attorney declined to comment after court.
The feds say Wiersma claimed to be a member of the extremist anti-abortion group Army of God. He admitted his threats against the Chicago clinic, which date back to 2015, according to the complaint. But the latest round allegedly began Oct. 10, when the Chicago clinic received a threat through its website from someone calling himself "Luke."
"You will all f—ing pay for what you do," it said. "If not by my hand it will be by somebody else's. I want you to burn, I want you all to Die. You are pieces of f—ing sh– shut (sic) and deserve everything you got coming. You and your clinic will be going down soon. Watch your back."
A later threat read simply, "DIE, DIE, DIE."
Threats to the Hammond clinic followed. In one, Wiersma allegedly wrote, "I ain't afraid of the feds and will taunt them just to prove it." In another, he said he had no qualms about going to prison.
Eventually, the notes became more specific. On Oct. 29, Wiersma allegedly told the Chicago clinic, "I will do anything and everything to stop the unmitigated murders of fetuses. I will do anything to stop the atrocities committed by your clinic every minute of every day at your clinic. You are all pieces of sh– and I will kill to stop these atrocities. I will blow you up if I have to, burn the clinic down. I will do whatever is necessary I swear to God I will. After that you are in God's hands and He will do His thing."
Around the same time, the FBI received the anonymous tips, from a phone similar to the one that sent the threats.
Wiersma voluntarily met with authorities Tuesday and admitted sending both sets of messages, according to the complaint.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2018. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
