Trump-Loving Nordic Neo-Nazi From Iowa Arrested After Threats, Hate Speech

A Cedar Rapids man has been arrested after he allegedly made threats over the phone and in emails to a Jewish organization in New York City. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the matter.

Garrett Kelsey, who referred to himself as “Garrett Odinschild,” called the organization, which was not named in the criminal complaint, on May 23. He later left a “profanity-laced” voicemail threatening all Jewish people.

“My people have fucking slaughtered your fucking people before and we will do it again,” Kelsey wrote, according to the federal criminal complaint. “And right now you are giving us incentive to do that … Filthy fucking Jews.”

He then sent an email demanding the organization remove a video that was about Nordic Neo-Nazis.

“Everywhere Jews go in the world they cause trouble,” Kelsey wrote. “You have 3 days to remove this video and offer an apology to the Asatru community or we will be taking action against your organization full of degenerates.”

The “Asatru community” apparently refers to a Norse neo-religious group that hopes to revive a sort of Germanic paganism. Its members have also increasingly been linked to white supremacist and anti-Semitic groups. The criminal complaint notes that white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia carried symbols associated with the movement.

Kelsey also apparently sent a threatening letter to an Iowa Antifa group, an image of which was captured by the Jewish organization before Kelsey deleted it from one of his Facebook pages.

“I think you better second guess opening your little queer club here in Iowa,” the message reportedly read. “If I ever see any of you cock sucking commie fascist snowflakes, I’m gonna bash your skulls in without warning! White is might!! 1488!! Hail Odin! Hail Asatru!!”

Kelsey appears to operate two separate Facebook pages, one under his actual name and one under his “Garrett Odinschild” name, which contains far more racist and radical statements. His profile photo on that one was recently a Pepe frog. The FBI agent in the criminal complaint says she was able to determine the “Odinschild” one was run by Kelsey.

On that page, Kelsey has shared racist memes, statements in support of white supremacy and his backing of President Donald Trump. Kelsey refers to Trump in one post as “our beloved and fearless leader Donald J. Trump.” A week before he was interviewed by the FBI, he changed his cover photo to a picture of Jewish people lined up against a wall in Poland during the Holocaust.

He also links to a number of his other social media profiles, most on right-wing networks, in which he encourages people to vote for “Lord Trump,” wishes for the destruction of Islam, makes many racist statements about black people and also shares some rather generic Republican memes.

“I want to talk about the white right to unite!” Kelsey wrote in February 2019. “I say we need to make our presence known. The Viking has awoken in Europe and in the Americas! … We shall unite as blade brothers once again!! We fight the good fight! Do not cuck to the false leftist egalitarianists! There time has come, and the time is… NOW!”

The Southern District of New York charged Kelsey with one count of interstate transmission of threat to injure a person. A warrant for his arrest was signed on July 18. The federal criminal complain was unsealed yesterday.

by Pat Rynard
Posted 7/24/19