Darren Lyn
November 22, 2023•Update: November 22, 2023
HOUSTON, US
The nation's largest Muslim civil rights group on Tuesday released audio from X Spaces (formerly Twitter Spaces) that appeared to show pro-Israel activists targeting Michigan US Rep. Rashida Tlaib with a violent plot.
Tlaib, the first woman of Palestinian descent in the US Congress and one of its first Muslim women, was scheduled to visit Arizona State University last weekend when a social media user noticed the violent audio posts on X, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The audio conversation was used "to strategize about how to target Rep. Rashida Tlaib during her visit to Arizona … including whether it would be possible to travel through Arizona with a gun and enter CAIR-Arizona’s annual banquet with a firearm or ‘shoot her from far away’,” CAIR said in a statement.
"This bone-chilling discussion among pro-Israel activists … about ways to harass, disrupt and even shoot Rep. Rashida Tlaib is the latest proof that Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism are absolutely out of control in the United States," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the council’s national deputy director.
Tlaib's Arizona State University event was scrubbed due to the potential threat, and the banquet was held at an alternate location after the original hotel venue was also cancelled.
CAIR said one X user spoke about how to target Tlaib despite expecting heavy security around her.
"What I'm hearing is that if you want to shoot her at the event, you have to do it from far away," said the user, according to the audio obtained by the group,
Arizona law enforcement is now investigating the potentially violent plot, which CAIR said also included a discussion of disrupting the event and whether it would be legal to scream a sexually explicit insult at the congresswoman.
CAIR shared the recording with Tlaib's office, police, and private security in advance of her visit, and extensive security was present at the banquet, which did not experience any disruptions.
"We thank the American Muslim X user who took the time to monitor and report this disturbing conversation," said CAIR-Arizona Executive Director Azza Abuseif. "We also thank law enforcement for quickly acting to investigate this incident, and we thank everyone who ensured that Rep. Tlaib's visit to Arizona was ultimately safe and successful."
CAIR said it has also encouraged law enforcement "to treat these pro-Israel activists the same way they would a group of Muslim or pro-Palestinian activists who openly mused about carrying firearms across state lines, infiltrating a civil rights event, and shooting a member of Congress."
