U.S. Army Soldier Allegedly Threatened to “Kill Every Single Jew” in Discord Messages About Synagogue Attack

A U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Polk has been arrested after he allegedly said on the messaging app Discord that he is “going to walk into a synagogue with my AK” and “kill every single Jew I know inside.”

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana said on April 23 that Jakob Marcoulier faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on a charge of “transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.”

In February, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Threat Operations Center received an online tip about a Discord user named “el.bostino” who had made threats toward synagogues, court documents said.

The FBI obtained recorded audio from the platform in which the individual, later identified as Marcoulier, made the threats. He said that “after this deployment if the Jews still have reign over our government, I am going to walk into a synagogue with my AK.”

The 22-year-old added that he would carry a 75-round drum mag, all of his extra magazines, level four plates, and his haka helmet, and “I am going to kill every single Jew I know inside of that synagogue. And that’s my goal in life.”

According to court documents, Marcoulier went on to emphasize the seriousness of his threats, saying, among other things, that “you guys will never do anything about it but I will.”

“I just have to finish this, I have to go back overseas and do what I have to do. And then you’ll see me in the news. I promise you,” he added, saying that he plans to make sure the “white youth is secured.”

The FBI investigated the case alongside the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (DACID). “Threats against synagogues and Jewish Americans are threats to the religious freedom promised to every single one of us, and this Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to protecting those freedoms,” Keller said.

“This case demonstrates the FBI’s vigilance and swift action in identifying and taking action against those who perpetrate these threats, and our Office looks forward to seeing justice done in this case,” Keller added.

Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of the FBI New Orleans Field Office, said the bureau is focused on preventing violent hate-crime attacks before they occur.

“Once the concerned citizen reached out to 1-800-CALL-FBI to report this situation, FBI Special Agents in Birmingham and New Orleans, and our partners in the U.S. Army, acted swiftly in this case. This is a perfect example of how the public is law enforcement’s greatest partner,” Tapp said.

The news sparked strong reactions on social media. “Hmm...5 years maximum. How the F could anyone trust this man to freely navigate society without doing mass murder again?” one X user commented.

“Just 5 years in prison? If the charges are true, this is a person who has demonstrated that he cannot be trusted to live amongst others. He is a permanent threat to society. Life in prison is the only appropriate sentence,” another added.