NASHVILLE − A 25-year-old Midwest man has been indicted after threatening to commit a mass shooting and bombing at this weekend’s Nashville Pride event, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
According to an unsealed indictment, Joshua Hensley of Hoisington, Kansas, is charged with two counts of transmitting an interstate threat related to this year’s celebration slated Saturday and Sunday in Music City, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville announced.
FBI agents arrested Hensley, also known as Josh Echo, Thursday at his home in Kansas, United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis said in a news release Tuesday.
Last week Hensley appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.
Shrapnel pressure cooker bombs and a mass shooting
According to the indictment, on April 26, Hensley posted comments to a Facebook post for Nashville Pride and threatened to “make shrapnel pressure cooker bombs for this event.”
In another comment posted that same day, Hensley threatened to “commit a mass shooting.”
“We will not tolerate hate-based, threats of violence designed to intimidate Tennesseans,” Leventis said in the release. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI to ensure that the civil rights of all persons are protected.”
Hensley remained jailed Tuesday without bond.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, prosecutors said.
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Detention hearing set Friday
A detention hearing for Hensley is scheduled for Friday in the District of Kansas, prosecutors said.
If convicted, Hensley faces up to five years in prison and at least a $250,000 fine.
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More than 100K expected to attend
Music City’s annual festival, the largest LGBTQ+ event in Tennessee, kicks off with a parade at 10 a.m. Saturday in downtown Nashville. The parade is free, spans one mile and is expected to last two and a half hours.
The Nashville Pride Festival is expected to draw more than 100,000 people and takes place in Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in the city’s Germantown neighborhood. The musical line up includes FLETCHER, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Cassadee Pope.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
