Alexander Lightner, Threats and Silencer Possession, Florida 2023

Tampa, Florida Man Charged with Threats and Silencer Possession

Alexander Lightner, a 26-year-old from Venice, Florida, has been charged with making threats and possessing a silencer. On December 29, 2023, Lightner made threatening statements on an internet messaging platform, indicating his intention to carry out a mass shooting.

The threats, which included language referencing a 'saint' and 'high score,' were made in furtherance of a racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ideology. In this community, a 'saint' refers to an individual who commits an act of mass violence in furtherance of RMVE ideology, and the term 'high score' refers to the death toll amassed by an attacker, or saint, who commits an act of mass violence.

According to court filings, Lightner's threats included statements such as '2024 there shall be saints u fuq,' 'Highscore shall be defeated,' and 'I'll delete this, but I say to you there is no surrender only death. Only purpose.'

Federal law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant at Lightner's residence, where they recovered an unregistered firearm silencer, ammunition, and multiple firearms from his bedroom.

Alexander Lightner has been charged with interstate transmission of a threat to injure and unlawful possession of a silencer. If convicted on all counts, Lightner faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Terrorism Task Force, with valuable assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Schmidt.

Alexander Lightner is presumed innocent until proven guilty. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/venice-man-charged-threatening-commit-mass-casualty-event-and-unlawful-possession