A Sarasota man has been indicted on a federal charge accusing him of threatening Jewish people in Instagram videos. Duncan Fraser MacDonald, 45, faces one count of sending communications containing threats to injure another person, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Prosecutors say the videos were posted Sept. 16 and 17 and showed firearms while MacDonald allegedly threatened to “hunt” Jewish people.
Court records show MacDonald was arrested in Arizona on Sept. 18 and made his first federal court appearance in Jacksonville on Oct. 16. The FBI, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case. If convicted, MacDonald faces up to five years in federal prison.
The case resonates here on the Suncoast, where Jewish communities from Sarasota to Bradenton and Venice are part of the fabric of our neighborhoods. It also raises questions many listeners are asking: where is the line between free speech online and a criminal threat? We’d like to hear from you. Do you think social media threats should be treated the same as threats made in person?
