Man Arrested For Allegedly Sending Threats To Merriam-Webster Over Gender Definitions

A California man was arrested and charged on Tuesday for allegedly threatening to bomb Merriam-Webster's offices due to the dictionary publisher's definitions for women, federal prosecutors claimed.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, the 34-year-old Jeremy David Hanson of Rossmoor, California, was charged with one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence for alleged online threats he sent to the company in October.

He is accused of terrorizing companies that make children's toys, Disney, Merriam-Webster dictionary, as well as a comic book writer due to his enrage at the supposed "radical homosexual agenda" he claimed had corrupted Mr. Potato Head and "ruined Superman." According to prosecutors, he also allegedly sent related threats to other companies, non-profits and individuals, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, IGN Entertainment, the president of the University of North Texas, two Loyola Marymount University and a lot more.

Rachael Rollins, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said the sent threats were severe enough to force Merriam-Webster to close its Springfield and New York offices out of caution. "We believe Hanson sent a multitude of anonymous threatening and despicable messages related to the LGBTQ community that were intended to evoke fear and division," she added.

Hanson allegedly used the account name "@anonYmous" to post a message on Oct. 2 on Merriam-Webster's web page's comment section. He was referring to the definition of the word female, saying that "Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda," according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

"There is no such thing as 'gender identity.' The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot," Hanson, a Donald Trump supporter, allegedly wrote in the comment section. Hanson also reportedly sent a message via the "Contact us" page claiming that the company's headquarters should be "shot up and bombed," federal prosecutors said. "It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive."

If Hanson is convicted, he will be facing up to five years in prison. He currently does not have a lawyer listed in court records.