Federal Way man arrested for allegedly threatening Obama
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- A Federal Way man has been arrested for allegedly making threats against President Obama, federal officials said Tuesday.
The man, 31-year-old Anton Caluori, sent a threatening email to a general FBI mailbox, said Emily Langlie with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Secret Service agents immediately went to Caluori's apartment at the Panther Ridge Apartments Complex, found he was armed and took him into custody, Langlie said.
"When they opened the door he was armed. And then they obviously got him into custody and arrested him," said Tanya Waller, who witnessed the arrest.
Federal agents said they found suspicious items in the Caluori's unit and out of an abundance of caution, called in a bomb unit to sweep for any possible explosive devices. Two weapons were also confiscated, Federal Way police said.
Lee Hauser, who also lives in the complex in the 100 block of S. 334th Street, says the entire complex was evacuated. He added he could see police cars, a black sedan and a bomb disposal unit at the scene.
Cathy Schrock of the Federal Way Police Department said the evacuation was necessary to ensure the safety of all individuals in the area.
"We know folks want to reenter, but we must ensure it is safe for citizens and follow up investigators," Schrock said.
Caluori's mother, Renee, said her son made a mistake.
"He has a good education, he's a good boy, but he's done a stupid thing," she said. "I don't know a whole lot. How would you feel if your son got arrested? Never got arrested, was in the military, has a college education. And I'm just a little bit upset and shocked."
Langlie said Caluori will make is first appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon. Federal officials did not give any further details about the threat they received.
The man, 31-year-old Anton Caluori, sent a threatening email to a general FBI mailbox, said Emily Langlie with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Secret Service agents immediately went to Caluori's apartment at the Panther Ridge Apartments Complex, found he was armed and took him into custody, Langlie said.
"When they opened the door he was armed. And then they obviously got him into custody and arrested him," said Tanya Waller, who witnessed the arrest.
Federal agents said they found suspicious items in the Caluori's unit and out of an abundance of caution, called in a bomb unit to sweep for any possible explosive devices. Two weapons were also confiscated, Federal Way police said.
Lee Hauser, who also lives in the complex in the 100 block of S. 334th Street, says the entire complex was evacuated. He added he could see police cars, a black sedan and a bomb disposal unit at the scene.
Cathy Schrock of the Federal Way Police Department said the evacuation was necessary to ensure the safety of all individuals in the area.
"We know folks want to reenter, but we must ensure it is safe for citizens and follow up investigators," Schrock said.
Caluori's mother, Renee, said her son made a mistake.
"He has a good education, he's a good boy, but he's done a stupid thing," she said. "I don't know a whole lot. How would you feel if your son got arrested? Never got arrested, was in the military, has a college education. And I'm just a little bit upset and shocked."
Langlie said Caluori will make is first appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon. Federal officials did not give any further details about the threat they received.
Maybe it was the only way he could get away from his mother.
At least this loon used an easily traceable channel for his threat. While he probably isn't a real threat, getting him off the street and cooling him down in the nearby federal penitentiary is great. While 100 loons may not be a real threat individual, collectively the probability that one of them is a threat goes up. Put them in jail and the threat is diminished.
And we don't know if he was a Teatard, but we do know his freinds were Teatards.
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Birds of a feather, and all that...
 @Jerome O'Neil Rather like rapists and Occupy activists being birds of a feather?Â
Dude got his degree from DeVry, and studied theater at the local j-cos.
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That's his "college education."
At least he made it easy for the government to catch him. Just think of what he would have gotten away with if he would have been more secretive with his plans.
Former military with guns sending threatening letters to our socialist Kenyan born Muslim president.  I'm shocked.Â
 @caphillkid aren't you being sarcastic? I hope I'm reading this like I think you meant it..that's what the nutball was thinking, not you..right?
@caphillkid I pity you. Unlesss you're writing this letter from Sweden, the Netherlands or Denmark, or a like country, you are most definitely NOT living in a socialist country. If you were, every American would have medical care as needed, and many other benefits. I have dear friends in these countries, and they are so happy with their systems! As far as President Obama being Kenyan born, this has repeatedly been disproven, and as for him being a Muslim, you are just plain mistaken. Their is absolutely NO evidence to support either of these claims, leading me to believe they are false, just as any logical, clear thinking person would. Have you considered that perhaps you wanting to believe these ridiculous claims is fueled by your racism, other than by logic and common sense? I'm sure you'll have some absolutely vitrolic comments to hurl back at me, without considering a word I've said!
No threat too small? A guy living with his mother in Federal Way who owns a shotgun and pistol...? Sounds like a viable threat.
@Fugonn Coupled with threats to our President no matter who makes them, must be taken seriosly. Many nutcases living with their Moms have committed heinous crimes in this country. It only takes one whacko with a gun to maim or kill our President. I remind you of Presidents Reagan, McKinley, and Lincoln.
When will people learn you have zero anonymity when using the internet or email to make threats like that?
@skepticaloptimist Right! And to send it directly to the FBI... What?! Let's hope all criminals can start to be as smart as this man! Haha!
I expect these kind of stories to become more common with the completion of the super e-spy center in Utah.
Its nothing wrong with that, there was a time when people were descent..there was a time when one could go to a movie with out looking over their shoulder, I am looking forward to the day when there are drones flying over my head, it appears we have become a nation of pigeons for individual who do not understand that with freedom comes responsible debate, NO the intolerant among us would rather threaten and pack heat....we NEED the super e-spy centers or what ever..People like this person have made Drones, and super e-spy centers necessary..so get use too it you lost your true freedom after Oklahoma, Columbine, Aurora, Foot Hood, Virginia Tech, Arizona, how many more....your personal freedom have been hijacked by people like Anton Caluori...
 @Angelswatching "We NEED the Patriot Act and to be able to hold people without trial and to remove people's basic rights....in the name of safety!" People like you are the reason why our so called "freedom" is all but a joke these days. Because the government passes laws taking away our freedoms and you stand up and applaud being turned into a subject.
 @dg54321  @Angelswatching The only thing about the Patriot Act that was of any help to me as an officer was I could FINALLY "profile" and not hide it, because like it or not that's our job (if done correctly). So I got to profile my 40 yr old white guy on his kids BMX with no helmet..led to a lot of warrant arrests..REAL bad guys. Didn't catch any other terrorists except the usual, thieves, rapists and people who will kill you for looking at them the wrong way. My truck load of illegals? NOPE went home, INS said I couldn't do anything unless it was a federal offense. Speeding isn't a federal offense..so off they went, with a ticket.
 @Angelswatching you do a great job of laying down and taking it up the poop shooter. Our government loves sleep walkers like you. let me guess; you never stood up to anything or anyone in your weak pathetic life. Born a loser, die a coward.
 @Angelswatching Of those tragedies you list, how many of them could have been prevented with drones?  I'll answer it for you... ZERO.  a motivated group of people, or one motivated individual who is willing to destroy their own life can easily cause a catastrophe.  A life of drones and constant spying will result in more people "snapping" and would not keep us any safer.  People who live in fear and want to legislate their fears is the problem. Â
 @dg54321 I also take issue with the tendency to harken back to the "good old days" . There ain't nothing new under the sun. Humans have always done heinous things to each other and the world around them. Technology has made it possible to view the news 24/7, and news ratings are driven by the bad stuff. Few would tune in for babies and puppies all day. If you would, there's a site for you somewhere- just google it. Don't cloud your own outlook by spending too much time here or at any news site.
As for me, I want no return to any nostalgic and romanticized past.
@Angelswatching Ever heard "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."? YOU are the reason THEY (criminals, terrorist) feel they can do anything! The government CAN'T do it... though they will keep telling you they can, and you will believe them.
 @Angelswatching No. Your freedom can't be taken away by some boogeyman terrorist. Only you can give away your freedom because people like you refuse to fight to keep it. The best middle finger we could have given to the terrorists after 9/11 was to bury the dead, rebuild and carry on with our lives without fear. Instead legislators used the tragedy to push anti-freedom laws and continue to use the threat of "terrorists!!!11!" to do the same thing to this day.
Talk to the fanily members o thef victims who were killed at Oklahoma, Arizona, Columbine, Aurora, Fort Hood, Virginia Tech...any terroristic threat within our borders or out side our borders, they should loose their basic rights..the Patriot Act is necessary, the drones are necessary.. you lost your freedom after each terrorist action, our Domestic terrorist, are the reason these freedom will be, forever lost.
Ok first off this guy is a complete dolt! Second off mom so are you. Who cares that he was in the Navy and who cares that he was college educated, neither of those things have stopped people from acting stupid or crazy. I believe in the freedom of speech, but I also believe in your right to remain silent too.
 @Kodiak Freedom of speech comes with consequences. That's how it should be. Open your mouth without thinking and experience the censure of your social group. Make a threat to harm another, go to jail. This guy sounds like he might have a mental health problem, and so, having thought it a good idea to threaten the president, he may actually receive the help he needs. Not necessarily a bad consequence.
 @Kodiak Yeah the Mom didn't say anything about any of that preventing him from doing this. She was describing her son from her viewpoint to explain why she's shocked that he did that. That's what Mom's do...they defend their kids...especially when they do something unusually stupid.  Good God.
 @Kodiak I could not have said it much better, there seems to be a misconception that if you are 'well educated' you cannot possibly do anything wrong... sheesh tell that when talkign about such people as the batman ronald mcdonald shooter who shot all those people in that movie theater, th eperson who shot JFK, Ted Bundy.... sheesh need I go on!
Who's your daddy?? Â Sounds like another with a front row seat on the ship of fools.
 @SandyBeach Who's your daddy??..and that's the most he ever said about me..sorry made me laugh.
Appears he did a stint in the US Navy. Now more concerned with "offshore" banking and online gaming. At any rate---Obama needs to go away, and take Congress and Romney with him. These 2 parties could care less about REAL changes.Â
 @SandyBeach I'm with you. We need to start over. And we need term limits for all these overly entitled government employees.
@Scoondog @SandyBeach I agree... TERM LIMITS. These effin guys/gals don't even work when they are suppose to... usually only 50-70% of the elected officials show up when they hold meetings. Out campaigning, or on vacation, or some other BS... nowhere else can you show up to work half the time and not only still have your job, but get paid for all the days you weren't working.
Perhaps he did convey a threat to the President; we don't know all the details. Â It was clearly provocative enough to attract the attention of the FBI. Â More troubling still was his greeting federal officers at his door armed with a shotgun and weapon in his ankle holster. Â Who does that?
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"Good boy with a good education" indeed.
You people kill me. So thats the county we live in now. Cant talk bad about or oppose someone in office or they will just come detain you and submit you to have an "evaluation". Didn't know we were living in the Soviet Union. Has nothing to do with being a right winger. It has to do with standing by your values and principles. Â Something that most of you obviously have no concept of. All this article says is that he sent a threatening email. Doesnt say what was in it and you all just jump to conclusions. Typical west coast liberal idiots.Â
@Russell Deuel Perhaps you are not familiar with the concept of the Secret Service sir, who have always bee tasked to take ANY threat to the President seriously. It is very much against the law, and has been for some time to threaten the President of the United States. If you really think living in the US is like living in the Soviet Union, then I invite you to move there and then evaluate your prior beliefs. In any case, I don't think there is much of a call for immigration from the US to Russia. Ever wondered why that might be the case? In the meantime, let's let this case unfold before we rush to judgement. If anyone makes a credible threat to the President and has the arms and ammo to back it up, then he should be prosecuted under existing law. If not, he should be released.
 @Russell Deuel you make one good point: we do not know what was in the email. However, you skipped the part about him greeting the agents at the door with weapons. I think there could be some real crazy involved here. As for your comments about liberals, stuff 'em up your conservative hole please.
 @Russell Deuel Are you seriously that dim to not be able to tell the difference between opposing ones policies vs directly threatening them with harm? Threatening the president of this country is against the law ... this person definately should have known that and they broke the law..... end of story!
He wrote a threatening e-mail, I dont think the Feds are wasting time on an opposing view...this has nothing to do with one being a conservative or a liberal....too bad you can not tell the diff
He wrote a threatening e-mail, I dont think the Feds are wasting time on an opposing view...this has nothing to do with one being a conservative or a liberal....
You're the kind of blind melon moron that kills us. Dissent is one thing, you can voice your opinion on a street corner soapbox or at the polls but threatening the president is a serious offense. I have no desire to vote Mr Obama back into office because I think he's in over his head but that doesn't mean want to to see the man harmed. A threat to do so should bring down the full force of the law on this clown who has apparently lost his values and  principles--assuming he some to begin with.
@Russell Deuel
There is a big difference between sending an e-mail that makes threats and sending an e-mail that expresses an opposing view point. The article specifically states that it was a threatening e-mail, hence an e-mail in which threats are made. Seems pretty clear that this man was not simply talking bad about or opposing the opinion of the President, he was literally making threats, which is illegal under 18 USC § 871:Â
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http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/18C41.txt
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/871
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You talk about this having "nothing to do with being a right winger," then go on to call the people on this board "typical west coast liberal idiots," comments like that only serve to distract from your intended point.
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I must say I'm surprised for once that the comments here are more mature than the ones on the KOMO Facebook page linking this story.
odramamustgo isn't here. I wonder if...nah, can't be.
Ok, people, just in case you didn't get the memo in Civics class....
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If you threaten the head of state of a major industrial nation, the security apparatus will:
a] rip your life apart
b] put you on a watch list
c] root through the life of everyone you know.
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Question: is it really worth saying you hate somebody that much when you know they're up for reelection in three months? Are you really that much of a Right-winger /Commie-loving /backwoods hillbilly /urban hippie that you have to the people that love you to garbage like this? WTF do you think you live anyway? Libya?
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And make no mistake, I'm calling out the ignorant propagandizing idealogues on both sides of the aisle. The single greatest threats to the American Democracy of late have been Republican and Democratic lunatic fringes and BOTH parties need to reel in their respective Grover Norquists and/or Barbara Steisands.
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 @svensson I'm sorry, I read "Streisands" in my head and laughed..had to look again.
I'm surprized that the liberal media hasn't already linked him to the tea party.
@Magic 8 Ball Why bother stating the obvious?
 @Magic 8 Ball I'm surprised you have to be that ignorant!
@StevenRosenow @Magic 8 Ball I'm not
 @StevenRosenow I'm not surprised about that at all, exactly what I expect from these characters
 @takingamericaback I'm as liberal as it gets, and I think that when a crazy person does something and is either linked to a political ideology by any media or by their own statements, it should not be taken as an indication that the political party has any actual affiliation with the crazy person or endorses their actions. Pretty sure Jim Jones based his whole thing on Christianity, but I don't think all Christians are Jim Jones. Got it?
There is no news reporter or journalist that speaks for me. There are plenty out there saying things that are worth evaluating, but I am not aligned with any media outlet and try to give you the benefit of the doubt as well. If we could get past the name calling and accusations of sheep like obedience to media that are leveled both ways, we might actually be able to have productive conversations with one another and get a few things done.
 @Larry*X*K  @StevenRosenow its not far fetched they tried linking the guy that shot up the movie theater in colorado to the tea party. Why wouldnt they try to link this guy to it to?
@StevenRosenow Enlighten me. What am I ignorant to concerning this subject?
this has nothing to do with the liberal or the Tea party....Anton Caluori, use his name...Anton Caluori sent the threatening e-mail to the President...NOT the Liberals...NOT the Tea Party..Anton Caluori use his name, he's the problem
Anton Caluori actions ( that he has to take responsiblity for and I would not be surprise if his Mother is not envolved to,o on some sub conscious level such as her mouth, she's a bit too willing to talk to the press) Big Brother has arrived
 @Magic 8 Ball  @StevenRosenow Ok.  You are ignorant because you made and ignorant statement about this person's beliefs, the tea party and liberals.  That is how you are ignorant.