Radio Host Hal Turner Charged With Inciting Injury To Two Connecticut Lawmakers6-3-09
Radio host Hal Turner — accused of hosting a website that incited Connecticut Catholics to "take up arms" and singling
out two Connecticut lawmakers and a state ethics official — was taken into custody in New Jersey late today after state Capitol police obtained an arrest warrant for him.
Turner, who has been identified as a white supremacist and anti-Semite by several anti-racism groups, hosts an Internet radio program with an associated blog. Last week, the blog included a post that promised to release the home addresses of state Rep. Michael Lawlor, state Sen. Andrew McDonald and Thomas Jones of the ethics office.
"Mr. Turner's comments are above and beyond the threshold of free speech," Capitol police Chief Michael J. Fallon said in an e-mail announcing the warrant. "He is inciting others through his website to commit acts of violence and has created fear and alarm. He should be held accountable for his conduct."The remarks on the blog were a reaction to the recent controversy over a bill that would have changed the way the Roman Catholic church is governed, taking power away from church officials. It was pulled in mid-March following questions about its constitutionality.
Last week, the controversy flared again when the Diocese of Bridgeport filed a federal lawsuit against state ethics officials who are investigating whether church officials violated lobbying laws by organizing a rally at the state Capitol earlier this spring.
"It is our intent to foment direct action against these individuals personally," the blog stated. "These beastly government officials should be made an example of as a warning to others in government: Obey the Constitution or die."
And, the post continued, "If any state attorney, police department or court thinks they're going to get uppity with us about this; I suspect we have enough bullets to put them down too."The blog post pledged to announce the officials' home addresses on his radio show Wednesday night, but Turner 47, of North Bergen, N.J., was taken into custody before that could happen.
He was charged in the warrant with inciting injury to persons or property and will be presented in a New Jersey courthouse Thursday for extradition to Connecticut. It is unclear when that would happen.LINK 
