An Olean man was apprehended Friday on suspicion that he made interstate threats to a Minneapolis lawyer representing a man accused of supporting a terrorist organization.
Federal authorities charged 29-year-old Luke Marshal Wenke on a criminal complaint for interstate communication of a threat.
The charge stems from Wenke allegedly making contact with the defense lawyer for Benjamin Ryan Teeter, who pleaded guilty in December 2020 to conspiracy to provide support and resources to the Palestinian organization Hamas.
Wenke had allegedly sent approximately 76 threatening emails and at least two phone calls to the lawyer, chastising him for not providing sufficient defense for Teeter and professing to have a possibly romantic obsession with Teeter.
The Niagara County Jail reported Saturday Wenke was being held on a U.S. Marshals Service remand.