An Arkansas man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened to commit a mass shooting at a local Walmart store if the hantavirus outbreak led to a lockdown similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander announced in a press release on Friday, May 15, that Aaron Keith Bynum was arrested and charged on May 9 with first-degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications. Bynum’s bond was set at $2,500.
“The arrest stems from an investigation into threats made online,” the press release stated.
Authorities learned of the situation when the FBI received a tip that “an individual in an online multi-player game had threatened a mass shooting at his local Walmart if the country were locked down again due to the Hantavirus.”
“The individual provided the player’s username along with an in-game recording of the threats,” the press release added about the person who made the tip.
On May 11, a subpoena was issued to the game’s parent company and Bynum, 20, was identified as the owner of the account that allegedly made the threat.
Two days later, the FBI Fayetteville Field Office contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on May 13 and shared the information with the Criminal Investigation Division, per the release.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for Bynum’s home and a probable cause affidavit for his arrest on May 14, and investigators “seized a computer and computer accessories” on May 15.
Bynum was arrested and was brought into Marion County Detention Center “without incident,” according to the press release.
It is not currently clear if Bynum has entered a plea or retained legal counsel. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office had no updates to share when contacted for comment by Us Weekly.
Bynum made the threat amid the ongoing outbreak of a rare strain of hantavirus on a MV Hondius cruise ship. There are at least 11 confirmed cases and three people have died from the virus.
The cruise ship in which the virus was detected departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and stopped at several remote areas including Antarctica, South Georgia Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island.
“Hantavirus is a large group of more than 20 different viruses. It is a rare but serious virus that is spread to people by exposure to infected urine, saliva or feces from rodents, typically mice and rats,” according to John Hopkins Medicine.
The virus “can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a severe respiratory condition.” Additionally, Hantavirus can be fatal among patients that suffer from significant respiratory symptoms.
