‘I’m really still grieving the ordeal,’ the 29-year-old from Illinois told The Epoch Times.
The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security issued an alert to police agencies in Tennessee and surrounding states on March 1 about a man allegedly making threats against supporters of former U.S. president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
This information came to public light through a post by Steven Crowder on X Wednesday, March 6, citing a leaked police bulletin.
BREAKING: Tennessee Office of Homeland Security Issues ‘Officer Safety Bulletin’ To Multiple State Law Enforcement Agencies In Response To Bomb Threat Targeting “Trump Supporters”
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) March 6, 2024
“Have been thinking an awful lot about rigging my van and bombing @realDonaldTrump supporters.” pic.twitter.com/O1TlSyQRRU
The bulletin, confirmed by the agency to The Epoch Times, detailed allegations against Benjamin Matthew Dayton, including statements he supposedly made about harming political supporters to his mother, which were allegedly submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation through a “Guardian Incident Report.”
Alongside the alleged messages he sent to his mother, social media activity shared by Crowder and reviewed by The Epoch Times included a post with references to an “improvised munitions handbook” and messages decrying “fascism” while also supporting peace for Palestinians.
Mr. Dayton, a 29-year-old from Illinois, found himself at the center of this saga while off-grid in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas.
In an exclusive interview from his van on an Arkansas roadway, Mr. Dayton told The Epoch Times there were other details of the story that resulted in him being let go and deemed a non-threat.
The FBI and Department were sparse on details when pressed by The Epoch Times, but the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security said in an email that “law enforcement agencies in Arkansas made contact with Mr. Dayton, and the bulletin was allowed to expire.”
A public information officer with the Memphis, Tennessee, field office of the FBI said in a phone interview that they do not release details in these instances but noted it is regular practice to share information with law enforcement agencies and with the public if there is deemed to be a threat.
“I can tell you that it’s routine for the FBI to share information with our partners,” the spokesman said. “And sometimes, they incorporate it into their own documents or informational pieces for their officers or their agents in the field.”
He added that, “If there is anything that we have that is of concern that we would want the public to know, either a threat or anything, we’d go directly to the public.”
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety told The Epoch Times they were in the process of determining what information they could release, but did not provide an update prior to publication.
By Chase Smith
