LOS ANGELES
A San Luis Obispo County man was arraigned Tuesday on a federal grand jury indictment accusing him of posting threats on social media last summer to bomb synagogues within a 20-mile radius, according to federal officials.
Elijah Alexander King, 36, of San Luis Obispo, faces one count of threats and false information regarding fire and explosives, one count of interstate threats, and one count of false information and hoaxes.
King pleaded not guilty. A trial is scheduled for Jan. 13. He has been in federal custody since Nov. 6 and has since been ordered released on bond while the case proceeds, officials stated.
According to the Nov. 19 indictment and other court filings, King used an X (formerly Twitter) account under the name “Billy Badass” — tied to an email address and phone number associated with him — to post the threat on Aug. 28. The post read, “I’m gonna blow up every synagogue in a 20-mile radius.” Minutes later, he wrote, “This is a real threat, send the police and report me for terrorism.”
Prosecutors say that roughly 10 minutes after posting the threats, King used his cellphone browser to search for nearby synagogues.
After law enforcement contacted King and had him placed on a psychiatric hold that day, he continued posting on X, writing, “I got arrested and put on a 3 day psych hold for my posts against the jews,” and reposting another user’s message that read, “we don’t need gun control. We need jew control.”
Court documents say King’s account had previously featured antisemitic posts, including praise for Adolf Hitler, along with images of weapons such as a handgun, knives, and mace.
In September and October 2025, King allegedly sent numerous racist voicemails and emails to the police detective who initiated the psychiatric hold.
An indictment is merely an allegation. King is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the charge involving fire and explosives, and up to five years each on the interstate threats and hoax counts.
The FBI is investigating the case, with assistance from the San Luis Obispo Police Department.