‘Have to be exterminated’: Series of violent plots takes aim at AIPAC-linked targets in US

A series of violent plots targeting the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC in the US is detailed, beginning with a Texas man who told a friend he planned to 'shoot up' the state capitol and that AIPAC supporters 'have to be exterminated.' The article recounts a 1977 bombing of an AIPAC director's home, a 2023 protest at the group's president's home, vandalism of its DC headquarters, and two subsequent armed plots in Florida and Ohio, all amid rising anti-Israel rhetoric from both left and right.

The article reports on a series of violent plots targeting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in the United States, set against a backdrop of escalating anti-Israel and anti-AIPAC rhetoric. The most recent case involves Benny Caldera Jr. in Texas, who told a friend he planned to "shoot up" the Texas state capitol and said AIPAC supporters "have to be exterminated." He was charged with making a terroristic threat. The article traces a history of attacks, including a 1977 bombing of an AIPAC director's home, a 2023 protest at the group's president's home where protesters invoked the blood libel, and vandalism of its DC headquarters. Two other armed plots are detailed: Forrest Pemberton in Florida (December 2024) who planned an attack on an AIPAC office, and Tycen Proper in Ohio (June 2025) who allegedly plotted a violent attack on a UFC event near the White House targeting lawmakers who received pro-Israel donations. The article notes that family or friends tipped off law enforcement to each plot, and that there is no evidence of a direct connection between the violent plots and the statements from politicians and commentators who have railed against AIPAC.