East Arlington man accused of making violent, racist threats online arrested after standoff with federal agents

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man is in federal custody after a three-hour standoff with federal law enforcement agents.

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51-year-old Nathaniel Holmes is accused of making racist threats online and has been charged with four counts of “threat to injure”. The indictment, which was released late Friday afternoon, details the racist threats Holmes allegedly made under an online profile ashkeNAZI_Covid_Connection.

Action News Jax couldn’t find the account on any major social media sites.

According to the indictment, between October 9th and October 16th, Holmes made threats against multiple individuals, indicating he wanted to “kill” Jewish and African American people and stab Jewish and Black “kids to death”, using derogatory slurs. Dramatic video captured by Holmes' next-door neighbor captured the sound of a gas grenade going off as federal agents wrapped up the standoff around 1 PM, Friday.

The video shows the moment FBI SWAT agents pulled Holmes out of his house. Holmes’ side profile is only visible in a few frames.

A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, told Action News Jax Holmes has had issues in the past and neighbors are generally afraid of him.

“He’s an ex-Navy Seal. He’s got PTSD. He’s on full disability. And he has, he can like go off quickly. And he’s like a loner. I don’t see any friends coming over anymore. He used to have people coming over,” said the neighbor.

The neighbor said he’s just thankful the standoff ended without violence or injury to any neighbors.

“It was all going on right next to me. Cause the guy has some problems, but I never thought it would come to this,” said the neighbor.

Holmes’ charges could net him up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. According to Duval Court records, Holmes had no prior arrests before the incident Friday.

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