UPDATED 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Parkland, tweeted on Friday afternoon that Margate police earlier had arrested a man near his South Florida home for plotting to kill the congressman.
“The day before the election, I was notified by the Margate Police Dept., located in my Congressional district, about a potential plot on my life,” Moskowitz tweeted on X. “The individual in question was arrested not far from my home.”
The congressman said the individual arrested was in possession of “a rifle, a suppressor and body armor” that he had “a manifesto” that, “among other things, included antisemitic rhetoric and only my name on the ‘target’ list.”
Margate police, according to media reports and public records, arrested and charged John Lapinski, 41, of Margate, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and other gun-related charges, in connection with the incident.
“During the investigation, our detectives located several firearms and evidence that indicated he may have been planning some type of criminal act,” police wrote in an incident summary reported by NBC News.
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“Serving my constituents is a great honor, but it has put my family in danger,” Moskowitz said in a social media post that included a statement about the threat on his life and an arrest.
“I am deeply worried about Congressional member security and the significant lack thereof when we are in the district,” said Moskowitz in his statement. “Regardless of our political affiliations or differences, we all have families we want to keep safe.”
Moskowitz won reelection to his House seat on Tuesday by defeating Republican challenger Joe Kaufman, 52%-48%. His district includes Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. He’s a former state legislator and director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
