TAMPA, Florida — A Florida man faces up to five years in federal prison after confessing to posting graphically violent and racist threats against U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN), promising to decapitate her and murder her children.
Myles M. McQuade, 30, of Tampa, entered a guilty plea on December 2 to one count of transmitting an interstate threat to injure. According to plea documents reviewed by *The Independent*, McQuade admitted to posting two explicit threats on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in September.
The threats followed an interview in which Rep. Omar commented on the legacy of late right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk. In one post, McQuade wrote, **"[N-word]. When this country falls I'm going to kill your children in front of you then cut your head off."** In another, he stated, **"I'm going to kill you, you dirty subhuman [N-word] and I'll eat your monkey children for protein. Go back to Somalia before its [sic] too late."**
The Legal Acknowledgment: "A True Threat of Violence"
McQuade's signed plea agreement is unequivocal. It states that he "recognized that it would be viewed as a true threat of violence… not idle talk, a careless remark, or something said jokingly." The document further notes that his motivation was linked to the congresswoman's official position and actions.
The U.S. Capitol Police, alerted to the threats, quickly identified McQuade and attempted to interview him at his apartment. When agents called him, he hung up upon learning their identity. He was formally charged via a bill of information filed on December 2.
A Pattern of Intimidation and Escalating Rhetoric
For Rep. Omar, the nation's first Somali-American member of Congress, this guilty plea is the latest in a sustained campaign of threats she has publicly described. In October, she told NBC News that she feared for her life due to a sharp increase in violent intimidation, particularly following her criticisms of Israel's government.
"Since assuming office, two men have pleaded guilty to threatening to kill me," Omar stated. "This is very real. I fear for my children and have to speak to them about remaining vigilant because you just never know."
Experts point to a toxic political environment where violent rhetoric against public officials has become normalized. Seamus Hughes, a senior research faculty member at the University of Nebraska Omaha's National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, noted that 2025 is on track to set a record for federal arrests involving threats to public officials.
"The connective glue [is] a rising and concerning subset of Americans who see threatening murder as an acceptable outlet to express their political disagreements," Hughes told The Independent. "It never is, it never should be, and hopefully… it never will be."
This environment has been stoked by the highest levels of politics. Just last week, former President Donald Trump described Omar and other Somali-Americans as **"garbage"** during a televised cabinet meeting and called for her to be "thrown the hell out of our country."
The Path Ahead
McQuade, who works as an account executive at a tech company, is scheduled for a sentencing hearing in Tampa federal court on December 22. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
His defense attorney did not respond to a request for comment. A Department of Justice spokesperson declined to provide additional details on the case.
*Source: The Independent.*
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