Dominic Puopolo was arrested on Tuesday in his hometown of Miami and is being held without bail for threatening harm against a public servant, reports the Associated Press. Miami police found the 51-year-old man at a Subway restaurant after he had posted a Twitter video in which he threatened to assassinate Donald Trump at the inauguration.
It turns out that Puopolo's mother, Sonia Mercedes Morales Puopolo, was onboard American Airlines Flight 11, the plane that crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. She received press coverage about a year after the attacks when rescue workers discovered her left hand, with her wedding ring still on it, in the rubble at Ground Zero. Hillary Clinton eulogized Puopolo at her funeral.
"Yes, I'll be at the review stand at the inauguration, and I'm going to kill President Trump," said Puopolo in the Twitter video he posted on Monday. He gave out his full name, Dominic Joseph Puopolo, and said that he also goes by "Lord Jesus Christ." He then challenged authorities to stop his assassination attempt, saying, "What are you gonna do about it Secret Service?"
Also during his video message, Puopolo revealed that he has a wife, a son, and three daughters. The video ended rather incoherently, as he said, "Imagine your whole career comes down to an electronic message. That's the best we've come up with? Two thousand years of changes and you've gotta put my family into this position, Congress? I appreciate that, Congress."
Police say that Puopolo admitted to posting the threatening video upon his arrest. He will reportedly undergo a mental evaluation.
Due to his family's affiliation with the Clintons, some are suggesting that his alleged support of Trump's rival in the recent election has something to do with his threatening video. Clinton reportedly knew Puopolo's mother through working with her at the Red Cross, reports TMZ. According to the DailyMail, the Puopolo family, including the suspect himself, has a history of donating to the Democratic Party.
Watch the recording of Puopolo's assassination threat, as well as Clinton's eulogy at his mother's funeral, below.
