FBI arrests Connecticut man after he allegedly threatened to shoot Republicans

Hartford Courant on Oct 16, 2026

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The FBI has arrested a Connecticut man on charges he threatened to kill members of the Republican Party and a high-ranking public official on social media.

According to a release from David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, special agent in charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Scott Dyer, 35, of Naugatuck, was arrested Tuesday. He is accused of posting threatening comments on YouTube on Oct. 8 and 9, the release said.

“I’m prepared to kill Republicans. Eager to do it actually. I already have targets in my local community selected,” the release alleged Dyer said.

“I have hundreds of people in an excel spreadsheet with as much info on them as I could get. I’ve been stockpiling hollow points and have some custom made drones with some ... ‘neat’ features. Can’t wait for November. Gonna make a lot of people pay and I only accept Republican blood.”

State House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford said Thursday that he was perturbed that he had not been notified by law enforcement and learned about the FBI arrest from the Hartford Courant.

“I’m actually shocked that nobody in the state reached out to me to let me know,” Candelora told the Courant. “I’m a little bit annoyed. If we have members of my caucus that are under the threat of being murdered ... I have not been contacted.”

After texting back and forth with a lawmaker, Candelora said there was “police surveillance” on Thursday afternoon at the home of a Republican legislator because of the situation.

A joint statement from the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office quoted Dyer without mentioning any Republicans by name.

“The only public execution I’d like to witness and actively participate in is (name of high-ranking public official),” Dyer said. “I have a lot of hollow points with his name on if we ever get the chance to meet. ... I will head to the capitol tomorrow to assassinate (name of high-ranking public official).”

“I’m just stunned and shocked and surprised,” Candelora said. “I would think that I would have been contacted. I don’t know what high-ranking officials we have, but there aren’t that many in Connecticut.”

Dyer appeared in Bridgeport Superior Court on Tuesday on charges of making interstate threats and was released on a $100,000 bond into home confinement under electronic monitoring.

“Threats of violence, whether tied to politics or any other motive, have no place on the internet or anywhere else in our society,” Sullivan said. “We will investigate these crimes quickly and prosecute those involved to deter this behavior, neutralize any threats, and ensure the safety of the public.”

“There is no place in our democracy for politically motivated threats or acts of violence; public officials should never be targeted simply for the position they hold or for their party affiliation,” O’Brien said. “The men and women of FBI New Haven took an oath to defend our Constitution and will rigorously investigate all politically motivated threats and violence to ensure the safety of public servants, elected officials, and all those demonstrating support for a political party.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is conducting the investigation with the assistance of the Naugatuck Police Department.

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