NOT JUST “FAKE NEWS”

Teen Who Threatened CNN Also Menaced Local Islamic Center

Brandon Griesemer, 19, faces federal charges, freed on bail.

A 19-year-old who made nearly two dozen of threatening phone calls to CNN is free on a $10,000 unsecured bond and facing federal criminal charges after promising to “gun down” the cable network’s employees for putting out “fake news” at their Atlanta headquarters. Brandon Griesemer, of Novi, Michigan, was arrested at his parents’ home on Friday, according to federal court documents. FBI officials said Griesemer made 22 calls to CNN between Jan. 9 and 10, during which he railed against black Americans, Jews, and made explicit threats against CNN on-air personnel. According to the FBI, he told a CNN employee: “Fake news. I’m coming to gun you all down.” In separate call, he reportedly said, “Your cast is about to get gunned down in a matter of hours” and warned he was coming to Georgia. According to the Detroit Free Press, Griesemer admitted to local police that he made a threatening call to a nearby Islamic center in 2017; FBI officials say the CNN calls were made from the same phone number. He has been charged with interstate communications with intent to extort with a threat to injure, and is due in court for a preliminary hearing Feb. 9.