Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida said Friday that police notified him this week about an arrest in connection with a “potential threat on my life” in his district, which covers parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Moskowitz, a Democrat, said in the Friday statement that the Margate Police Department notified him about an alleged “potential plot” on his life on Monday, a day before Tuesday’s general election.
“I am deeply worried about congressional member security and the significant lack thereof when we are in the district,” Moskowitz said. “Regardless of our political affiliations or differences, we all have families we want to keep safe.”
Margate police confirmed on Friday that officers had arrested 41-year-old John Lapinski of Margate in connection with the incident, after an investigation on Saturday.
“During the investigation, our detectives located several firearms and evidence that indicated he may have been planning some type of criminal act,” Maj. Alain Banatte wrote in an incident summary.
Lapinski was arrested on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and other gun-related charges, police said.
Moskowitz said that a suspect was arrested not far from his home and had a rifle, suppressor and body armor.
“Found with him was a manifesto that, among other things, included antisemitic rhetoric and only my name on the ‘target’ list,” said Moskowitz, who is Jewish and a vocal defender of Israel.
The congressman, who NBC News projected was elected to a second term in Tuesday’s elections, declined to disclose additional details in his statement, citing an ongoing investigation.
A Moskowitz spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives referred NBC News to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern District of Florida and U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday evening. The FBI declined to comment.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Florida Republican, condemned the alleged plot.
“Political violence has no place in our country,” Gimenez said in a statement. “This violent anti-Semitic hate is despicable and must be confronted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Jewish lawmakers have faced growing threats of political violence in the year after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
Shortly after the attacks in October of last year, a Nevada man was charged after he was accused of leaving a series of antisemitic, profanity-laced voicemails at the office of Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, who is Jewish.
In another instance of threatened political violence, President-elect Donald Trump also faced a pair of assassination attempts in July and September. Moskowitz was appointed to serve on a House task force convened in July to study the first assassination attempt.