Federal authorities have arrested a Palo Alto man accused of sending violent threats to a U.S. Congresswoman and a state representative, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.  

Aaditya Chand allegedly used an Instagram account in February to send direct messages to an unnamed member of the U.S. House of Representatives, stating “I’m gonna shoot up ur office tomorrow u Palestinian scum” and “Get ready.” 

The message was allegedly received by the politician’s staff in Washington, D.C.  

Chand is also accused of using his Instagram account to send another message to a Florida State Representative, which investigators said they discovered while interviewing Chand. That message allegedly says “I’m gonna bring a gun to ur office tomorrow and shoot u and ur staff.”  

On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Chand with transmitting in interstate or foreign commerce a communication containing a threat to injure a person, a felony.  

If convicted, Chand faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in federal prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said. He also may be ordered to pay restitution.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.