‘Unhinged’: Man charged with ethnic intimidation in incident with Jewish congressman
An Ohio man accused of running Republican Rep. Max Miller off the road while brandishing a Palestinian flag turned himself in to authorities Friday and now faces two criminal counts — misdemeanor aggravated menacing and misdemeanor ethnic intimidation, court officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Feras Hamdan, a 36-year-old family physician, appeared with counsel for arraignment Friday morning, pleaded not guilty and received a $500,000 bond, Rocky River Municipal Court clerk Deborah Comery told the DCNF. Rocky River Municipal Court set a pre-trial date for July 8, ordered Hamdan to surrender his passport and barred him from contacting Miller or alleged victims under a criminal protection order.
The incident has sparked a multi-agency investigation involving local police, U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
“As I was driving to work, some unhinged, deranged man decided to lay on his horn and run me off the road. When he couldn’t get my attention, to show me a Palestinian flag — not to mention death to Israel, death to me — that he wanted to kill me and my family,” Miller, who is Jewish, said in a video posted to X on Thursday.
The congressman said the suspect not only forced his vehicle off the highway but also made threats against him and his family.
The road rage incident allegedly occurred Thursday in Rocky River, a Cleveland suburb, as Miller was driving to work. The congressman, who served as an aide to President Donald Trump during his first term, described the confrontation as “blatant antisemitic violence.” Miller’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Capitol Police emphasized their “zero-tolerance policy” towards threats against elected officials in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“In less than 24 hours … [Capitol Police] had boots on the ground, collaborated with the local police department, and the suspect in the case was arrested that same evening,” said Acting Chief Sean Gallagher. “This case is a prime example of the USCP’s stance towards threats against our elected officials. We will continue to have a zero-tolerance policy.”
The purported incident has drawn widespread condemnation from lawmakers across party lines. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the supposed episode “yet another outrageous example of unhinged rhetoric inspiring unstable people to threaten and attack elected officials,” while House Democratic leaders issued a joint statementcondemning the attack and urging quick action to protect members.
Hamdan’s alleged threats came during a period of heightened security concerns following the shooting of two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses over the weekend.
Miller’s office, Rocky River Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect information provided by the Clerk of Court of the Rocky River Municipal Court.
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