A tweet threatens a new attack against the gay community, this time in Houston, at the city’s upcoming pride parade. This comes in the wake of the Orlando terror attack on Sunday, June 12.
The Houston Chronicle reported police are investigating the tweet, which warns: “There will be a massive shooting at the pride parade in Houston, TX.”
The tweet was sent from an account, crehgdu 123, on Monday, June 13. That account has since been deleted.
The city’s Pride Week will take place June 19 to June 26. The parade is slated for June 25 in downtown Houston.
John Cannon, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department, told the Chronicle police are aware of the situation and continue to investigate the tweet made at 1:34 a.m. (CDT) on Monday. “We’re trying to figure out who it is,” Cannon said. “We’re looking into it just like we’d look into any other threat made to someone’s life.”
On Monday, Houston police told news media they plan to beef up law enforcement and security for this year’s pride parade in the wake of the Orlando shootings that left 49 people dead and more than 50 others injured when Muslim man, Omar Mateen, carried out a mass shooting at a gay nightclub.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told Houston ABC affiliate KTRK 13 they, too, are investigating the threat made over social media. The bureau is also looking into a Craigslist threat targeted at the San Diego LGBT community Wednesday, which Breitbart California reported.
Similarly to the Houston threat, it is not yet known who made the threat. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the owner of the defunct twitter account and/or any possible threats to the upcoming pride event to call 911 or the Houston Police Department at (713) 884-3131.
Pride Houston Inc. thanked people over Twitter for informing them about the “online threats,” according to the Dallas Morning News. The LGBT awareness and support organization also reported the threatening tweet to the Department of Homeland Security.
Pride Houston previously posted the threat itself was not directed to Pride Houston, but to “an individual.”
The Houston newspaper reported security at the gay pride parade in Chicago will be heightened as well. Event organizers commented they plan to hire dozens of off-duty police officers as a precaution. Wednesday, the FBI issued a statement in which they said that they are working with the Chicago Police Department to establish security measures for their June pride celebration.
Breitbart Texas’ Lana Shadwick reported on Wednesday an officer from the Texas gun rights community to provide free escorts of individuals planning to attend gay pride events in Texas. “Finally, we want to send a clear message that the American people are united against hate and Islamic extremism and we will not be victims,” Open Carry Texas founder C.J. Grisham told Breitbart Texas. “We stand with every community in opposing violence, regardless of the manner in which it is perpetrated.”
Follow Merrill Hope on Twitter @OutOfTheBoxMom.
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