Man arrested, accused of threatening Mayor of Norwich, police say
A man was arrested on Friday and is accused of making threatening comments on social media toward Norwich Mayor Swarnjit Singh, police said.
Police said they were notified about the comments on Thursday and conducted an investigation. They secured an arrest warrant on Friday for a 65-year-old man from New London. Singh said the FBI in New Haven notified Norwich Police of the incident.
Singh, who is Sikh, addressed the comments on his Facebook page on Monday.
“I can ignore some of the racial slurs directed at me these days, but I will not tolerate threats to my family,” Singh wrote. “I will continue to serve my community as mayor and focus on economic development, whether anyone likes it or not. I have always condemned political violence and transnational repression, and I will continue to do so.”
Singh also included screenshots of the comments he received in the post.
Democrats in Norwich put out a statement earlier on Tuesday, saying that they “firmly denounce the racist, derogatory remarks hurled at [Singh and his family] in a recent Norwich Bulletin Facebook post.”
“We condemn political threats, reject dehumanizing rhetoric and acts of violence in any form,” the statement, signed by Sen. Cathy Osten and Reps. Derell Wilson and Larry Pemberton read. “We believe our residents in Norwich feel the same.”
The man was charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias and threatening in the second degree, police said.
The man was held on a $5,000 bond.
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