A man charged with threatening to kill journalists at The Boston Globe said in 2013 that he hadn’t worked in more than 20 years and suffered from health problems.
The Latest on a man arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill Boston Globe employees over editorials condemning President Donald Trump (all times local):
3 p.m.
A man charged with threatening to kill journalists at The Boston Globe said in 2013 that he hadn’t worked in more than 20 years and suffered from health problems.
Robert Chain made those remarks in court documents filed in a civil case brought against him by the U. S. government over unpaid student loans.
Chain said in a declaration filed in the case that he hadn’t worked since 1989 and was receiving Social Security benefits.
He said he had a heart attack in 2005 and had continuing health issues.
Chain was arrested Thursday at his home in the Encino section of Los Angeles.
Authorities say he made the threats in retaliation for the Globe’s coordination of a series of editorials condemning President Donald Trump’s suggestion that journalists are the enemy.
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11:40 a.m.
A neighbor of the Los Angeles man arrested on charges of threatening to kill Boston Globe employees says Robert Chain was loud and bombastic.
Tim McGowan said he was awoken at 6 a.m. Thursday by three loud bangs as police raided Chain’s house.
Federal prosecutors say Chain made threats over a Globe-coordinated series of editorials condemning President Donald Trump’s suggestion that journalists are the enemy.
McGowan says about 30 heavily armed officers and a tank-like vehicle were outside and Chain eventually emerged in handcuffs wearing only boxer shorts.
McGowan says Chain could frequently be heard yelling at his television during sporting events.
McGowan says he can’t imagine Chain following through on threats, but can imagine him making them because he was a “big mouth.”
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4:40 a.m.
Federal prosecutors say a California man has been charged with threatening to kill Boston Globe employees over a Globe-coordinated series of newspaper editorials condemning President Donald Trump’s suggestion that journalists are the enemy.
Prosecutors said Thursday that 68-year-old Robert Chain, of Encino, made more than a dozen threatening phone calls to the Globe’s newsroom between Aug. 10 and Aug. 22.
Prosecutors say on the day the editorials were published in newspapers across the country, Chain called the newsroom and threatened to shoot Globe employees. That threat prompted a police response and increased security at the newspaper’s offices.
It was not immediately clear if Chain has an attorney. Prosecutors say he’s expected to appear in Los Angeles’ federal court Thursday and be transferred to Boston at a later date.
