A 36‑year‑old man from San Luis Obispo, who used the online handle “Billy Badass,” was charged with making a real threat to bomb synagogues. Elijah Alexander King pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a slate of federal charges that could land him up to a decade in prison.
On August 28, King posted through his “Billy Badass” X account:
“I’m gonna blow up every synagogue in a 20-mile radius,”
“This is a real threat send the police and report me for terrorism.,”
According to prosecutors, he spent the next few minutes hunting for nearby houses of worship on his phone. When police found him, he was placed on a psychiatric hold for monitoring, but he kept ranting from the same account.
In a later post, he wrote:
“I got arrested and put on a 3 day psych hold for my posts against the jews,”
“[w]e don’t need gun control. We need jew control,”
The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli’s office noted that these statements were “deeply hateful.”
King’s history on social media includes other antisemitic remarks—praising Adolf Hitler and posting images of handguns, knives and mace. After his release from the psychiatric facility, he called and e‑mailed the detectives who had evaluated him, leaving racially charged voicemails.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison, plus an additional five years for threats made through interstate communication, false statements and hoaxes. His trial is scheduled for January 13, 2026.
Image: A mugshot of Elijah King.
Caption: Elijah Alexander King, 36, went by “Billy Badass” online when he allegedly threatened to bomb synagogues. (San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office)
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