By Minyvonne Burke —
NBC News
A New York man was arrested on charges of allegedly threatening to kill the mayor of Yonkers and city police officers at a St. Patrick's Day parade, prosecutors said.
Ridon Kola, 32, is accused of posting threatening messages on social media saying he would
"slaughter" and "crucify"
members of the Yonkers Police Department "along" McLean Avenue, which is on the route of the city parade.
The man was arrested Friday, a day before the parade, on charges of making threats in interstate communications, according to the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Ridon Kola.FBI
According to the complaint, Kola began posting the messages in 2021. In a message posted on November 19, 2021, he allegedly wrote a threat in Albanian that translated as: "I'm going to massacre you little girls," the complaint says.
The following month, he allegedly wrote that he was going to kill officers and Mayor Mike Spano.
Investigators spoke with Kola in December 2021 at his home.
According to the complaint, he admitted to writing the messages, but said they were not serious and that he did not plan to harm the officers or the mayor.
The police searched his house but found no weapons.
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Due to the threats, the police department issued a warning to officers to "exercise diligence and caution" when interacting with Kola.
Earlier this month, Kola allegedly began sending threatening messages again, writing on March 6 that he was looking for an officer and would "burn the world down" until he found him, according to the complaint.
In a March 9 message, Kola allegedly threatened to “crucify” police and their bosses “all the way down McLean Avenue,” the complaint states.
"It will be a horror scene
," he said.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, Kola lives in an area close to where the parade ends and had also published a photo of himself with an ax in his hand.
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US Attorney Damian Williams said Kola's actions would not be tolerated.
“Threatening police with violence or undermining public safety will not be tolerated, and Kola is now indicted and
faces prison terms
for his threats against our dedicated law enforcement partners tasked with keeping us safe,” he said in a statement. a statement.
If convicted, Kola faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.