Tipsheet

From Anti-Semitic Conspiracy to Custody: Man Arrested for Threats Based on Lies About Kirk Assassination

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  October 21, 2025 12:27 PM

On October 12, Seth Dillon, owner and CEO of The Babylon Bee, received a death threat from an anonymous X user.

The threat read:

You’re in on it too b***h don’t think we forgot. Conspired with foreign govt about killing Charlie we f***ing know you did b***h. We’re gonna get you I promise maybe not today or tomorrow but you’re living on borrowed time and you know it.

Yesterday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier identified that user as Nicholas Ray of Spring, TX. Ray, 28, is now being extradited to Florida.

"Ray is now in custody and will be extradited to Florida to face charges of extortion, written threats to kill, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device," Uthmeier wrote on X.

Dillon wasn't the only person Ray allegedly threatened. He also posted threats against Laura Loomer and Josh Hammer.

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"Where do you think [Nicholas Ray] got the idea that I was involved in Charlie's murder?" Dillon asked.

That is an excellent question, and it seems the answer lies with some influencers on the Right who are inciting violence against Israel and Jews.

It's no coincidence, of course, that Ray followed five accounts on X, including Candace Owens.

Candace Owens has repeatedly claimed that "pro-Israel" people were pressuring Kirk to change his stance on Israel, claiming that Bill Ackman, Seth Dillon, and others met with Kirk at a Hamptons event to hold an "intervention" with Kirk.

Here's what Newsweek reported at the time:

Candace Owens, a prominent right-wing podcaster and former communications director at Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization that Kirk founded, made the most explosive claims.

On Monday, she alleged that billionaire hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman—a vocal supporter of Israel—had staged an "intervention" in the Hamptons weeks prior, pressuring Kirk to "get in line" with unwavering support for Israel during which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him. She said that Kirk was offered "a ton of money" to stick to a pro-Israel stance because he had been "falling out of love with Israel" and was "on the brink of changing some of his perspectives" about the Gaza war.

Owens framed these allegations, which Newsweek is unable to verify, as critical questions that others were afraid to ask. Ackman has strenuously denied specific claims of an "intervention," as have others, including Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, who were at the Hamptons event, which they nonetheless confirmed had taken place.

Tucker Carlson also said that Kirk's views on Israel were "evolving," according to Newsweek. During his eulogy at Charlie Kirk's September 21 memorial, Carlson likened Kirk to Jesus and made allusions to the trope that Jews were responsible for the killing of Jesus.

"It’s about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, and Jesus shows up, and he starts talking about the people in power, and he starts doing the worst thing that you can do: just telling the truth about people," Carlson said. "And they hate it, and they just go bonkers. They hate it, and they become obsessed with making him stop. ‘This guy’s got to stop talking. We’ve got to shut this guy up.'"

For his part, Dillon is grateful Florida law enforcement took the threats seriously.

While neither Owens nor Carlson has explicitly stated Israel is behind the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the implications they've made have taken hold among a not insignificant number of people.

This includes Nicholas Ray.