'Crying Nazi' Accused of Sending Threatening Text

White nationalist Christopher Cantwell is being held without bond in New Hampshire
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 24, 2020 11:33 AM CST
'Crying Nazi' Accused of Sending Threatening Text
Christopher Cantwell.   (Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail via AP, File)

Christopher Cantwell made a name for himself by popping up in a Vice documentary shot at Charlottesville's violent 2017 Unite the Right rally, followed by getting blocked on Facebook, Instagram, and PayPal. Then things got worse for the white nationalist when he posted a tearful YouTube video in which he expressed his fears about being arrested and possibly hurt or killed by the police, earning him mockery around the internet and a new nickname: the "Crying Nazi." Now Cantwell has a new item to add to his resume—an arrest for a threatening text. The FBI's Boston field office reports that Cantwell was taken into custody in New Hampshire Thursday after an indictment was filed charging him with extortion over interstate communications and threatening interstate communications, per NBC News and CNN.

According to the indictment, Cantwell had been pressuring a man to give him identifying info on a second man Cantwell had a beef with, and one text in particular put Cantwell in hot water. "So if you don't want me to come and f--- your wife in front of your kids, then you should make yourself scarce," Cantwell texted on June 16, according to the indictment. "Give me Vic, it's your only out," he allegedly added, per the Daily Beast. Cantwell is said to have sent the message over Telegram, an app favored by neo-Nazis and white supremacists due to its security and encryption features. Cantwell was ordered held without bond Thursday; his next court appearance is set for Tuesday. (More Unite the Right stories.)

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