Authorities Say They've Arrested a Man Who May Have Been Plotting to Kill Joe Biden

Alexander Hillel Treisman was arrested back in May on child pornography charges. A subsequent investigation confirmed he had shown interest in killing Biden.

October 23, 2020

A man who was indicted on charges of child pornography may have been plotting to assassinate Joe Biden prior to his arrest.

According to court documents made public on Thursday, 19-year-old Alexander Hillel Treisman was taken into custody back in May after bank employees reported a suspicious white van parked in front of the building. Officers had the vehicle towed after looking through a window and saw what they believed to be an arsenal of firearms. A subsequent search of the van yielded a box of ammunition, an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, a cannister of explosive material, and other weapons. Authorities also found about $509,000, which is believed to be Treisman's inheritance, "drawings of swastikas and planes crashing into buildings," as well as books about bomb making and survival.

Federal investigators went on to obtain warrants to search the suspect's devices, including his cellphone and laptop. The search revealed thousands of videos and images of child pornography content, as well as searches and social media posts related to Biden. Treisman allegedly searched for the former vice president's home address in Delaware and posted a meme on April 15 that was captioned: "should I kill joe biden?"

Per the court document:

Treisman has not been charged with any crimes related to the weapons or alleged threats. He is, however, facing one count of possessing child pornography and two counts of transporting child pornography across state lines. A judge has ruled earlier this month he remain behind bars without bail.