Fort Polk soldier accused of threatening mass shooting at synagogue, DOJ says

LEESVILLE, La. — A Fort Polk soldier is facing a federal charge after investigators say he made violent antisemitic threats online, including statements about carrying out a mass shooting inside a synagogue.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced that 22-year-old Jakob Marcoulier was accused by criminal complaint of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Prosecutors said Marcoulier, who is a soldier stationed at Fort Polk, faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received an online tip in February about a Discord user identified as “el.bostino” who allegedly made threats targeting Jewish people and synagogues.

Investigators said the FBI later obtained recorded audio from Discord in which Marcoulier allegedly said, “after this deployment if the Jews still have reign over our government, I am going to walk into a synagogue with my AK, with a 75-round drum mag, and all of my extra mags, with my level four plates, and my haka helmet that’s three plus, and I am going to kill every single Jew I know inside of that synagogue. And that’s my goal in life.”

Federal prosecutors said Marcoulier also allegedly told others on the platform, “you guys will never do anything about 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 also allegedly stated, “you guys don’t want to do anything for the f****** cause when it actually needs to happen … I’ll still kill these [expletives] in order to make sure the white youth is f****** secured.”

Marcoulier was arrested April 23, according to the Department of Justice.

“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,” U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said in a statement.

“The FBI is focused on preventing violent hate crime attacks and disrupting violent criminal plots, before they occur,” said Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “This is a perfect example of how the public is law enforcement’s greatest partner.”

The FBI and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation, and Marcoulier is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.