Man arrested for allegedly threatening Merriam-Webster over definition of female

The suspect likewise sent hazards to other companies, private investigators said.April 23, 2022, 12:49 AM – 5 minutes readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleA California male was detained today for supposedly threating to bomb Merriam-Websters workplaces and kill its workers over the dictionary publishers meanings for ladies, federal prosecutors said.Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, California, was charged on April 20 with one count of interstate communication of risks to devote violence for supposed online risks that he sent to the business in October, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts.Hanson apparently sent out the company a number of threatening messages through its “Contact us” area on its site and in the remarks area on its web pages that represented the word entries for “Girl” and “Woman.” Rachael Rollins, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, stated. Rollins said the dangers were serious enough to require Merriam-Webster to close its Springfield and New York workplaces out of an abundance of caution.”We believe Hanson sent a wide variety of anonymous threatening and despicable messages related to the LGBTQ neighborhood that were planned to evoke fear and division,” she said in a statement.In this screen grab drawn from Google Maps Street View, the Merriam-Webster building is shown in Springfield, Mass.Hanson apparently utilized the manage “@anonYmous” to publish the a message on Oct. 2 on the comment area of Merriam-Websters webpage for the meaning of the word female mentioning that “Merriam-Webster now informs blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda,” according to the U.S. Attorneys office.”There is no such thing as gender identity. The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot,” he presumably wrote in the remark section.Hanson likewise presumably wrote a message on the “Contact us” page stating the businesss head office need to be “shot up and bombed,” federal prosecutors stated.”It would be poetic justice to have somebody storm your offices and soar the place, leaving none of you commies alive,” he allegedly wrote.In this Jan. 13, 2022, file photo, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins is revealed at a media roundtable in Boston.Hanson published a comparable message on the “Contact us” page on Oct. 8, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.The suspect presumably sent out related risks to other business, individuals and non-profits including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O Lakes, Hasbro, Inc., IGN Entertainment, the president of the University of North Texas, two professors at Loyola Marymount University and a New York City rabbi, according to prosecutors.In this screen grab taken from Google Maps Street View, the Merriam-Webster building is shown in Springfield, Mass.”Threats to life are most definitely not safeguarded speech and they trigger real fear in victims,” Joseph R. Bonavolonta, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement.Attorney information for Hanson wasnt immediately available.He was launched on conditions following a court look in the Central District of California, district attorneys said. He is set up to appear before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Katherine A. Robertson in federal court in Springfield on April 29, according to the U.S. Attorneys workplace.