A Gadsden County man was taken into custody Tuesday following an immigration investigation sparked by concerns he was illegally in the United States and possibly plotting a mass attack, according to the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news release posted to Facebook on Feb. 25, the sheriff’s office said investigators identified the man as 28-year-old Louis Duxbury, a Gadsden County resident. Deputies launched the investigation on Feb. 24 after receiving information about a subject who was allegedly in the country illegally and had made statements raising public safety concerns.
“Investigators determined that Mr. Duxbury frequently used various social media platforms to post antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “It was also determined that Mr. Duxbury recently posted a video displaying rhetoric about mass shootings.”
Further investigation revealed Duxbury had previously been arrested and convicted in the United Kingdom for “inciting religious hatred,” a charge for which he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, the agency wrote.
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the sheriff’s office and Homeland Security investigators confirmed Duxbury is not a U.S. citizen and had been living in the country on an expired tourist visa. Immigration and Customs Enforcement classified him as an “over-stay,” meaning he remained in the United States beyond the period authorized by his visa.
That same day, investigators located Duxbury at his Quincy residence and took him into custody without incident. He was transported to the Gadsden County Jail and held on a 287(g) ICE detainer for immigration violations.
While he does not appear to have been charged in any plot, the investigation remains ongoing.
According to the Facebook page, Sheriff Morris Young said “this case is a glaring example of how law enforcement partners at the local and federal level, can effectively thwart threats and mass attacks against citizens of the U.S.”
Anyone with additional information related to the case is asked to contact the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 627-9233.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gadsden man detained for immigration violations after mass attack concerns
Reporting by Staff reports, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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