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Washington state student charged in federal court over Web threats

by Reuters
Thursday, 19 June 2014 18:13 GMT

(Adds details from federal complaint)

June 19 (Reuters) - A University of Washington student was charged on Thursday with making interstate threats over Web comments pledging to harm women and praising another college student who went on a killing spree in California in May, according to a criminal complaint.

Keshav Mukund Bhide, 23, was arrested on suspicion of harassment and cyber stalking on Saturday at his apartment-style suite at the Seattle campus, police said. He is due to appear in federal court on Thursday afternoon.

Bhide was taken into custody because of his online comments on YouTube and Google+, which investigators found included praise for California mass-shooter Elliot Rodger and threats to commit violence, police said.

Court documents said that investigators found Bhide had posted online messages about Rodger, a 22-year-old man who last month killed six University of California, Santa Barbara, students and wounded 13 other people before taking his own life in the college town of Isla Vista.

Rodger left behind videos and writings expressing sexual frustrations and his plans to kill women.

"Everything Elliot did is perfectly justified," Bhide wrote under an account with the name "Foss Dark," according to court documents.

Police say he also chatted with other Web users, including one who asked his name and residence.

"I live in Seattle and go to UW, that's all (I'll) give you. (I'll) make sure I kill only women, and many more than what Elliot accomplished," he replied, according to court papers.

Bhide told FBI agents and police who went to his home that he was angry with several YouTube videos created by internet users critical of Rodger, according to the federal complaint.

"Bhide stated that he, like Rodger, had a hard time socializing at school and had few friends," an FBI special agent stated in the criminal complaint.

Earlier this week, local prosecutors declined to file charges against Bhide, turning the case over to their federal counterparts. The criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court said Bhide's threatening Web comments involved a violation of federal law because his electronic communication traveled out of state.

It was not clear if Bhide has retained an attorney. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Beech)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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