'You're dead': Man faces prison over threats to Palestinian group in DC, feds say

Julia Marnin, Miami Herald on Jul 23, 2025

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A caller with a number linked to a TracFone traced by the FBI kept leaving violent voicemails for a Palestinian rights organization in Washington, D.C., according to court filings, warning its employees were being watched, tracked and that they were going to die.

“Don’t think we’re not watching you,” said a man, later identified as Kevin Brent Buchanan, in the first message left for the advocacy group on Oct. 31, 2023, an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint says.

“We know who you are, who your families are... You are the enemy... You’re gonna die,” Buchanan warned, according to the affidavit.

Four more menacing messages were received by the Palestinian organization in the following days, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a July 22 news release.

After the Justice Department asked the FBI to investigate the threats, the investigation led to Buchanan, 63, of Tooele, Utah, who now faces up to five years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Buchanan pleaded guilty on July 21 in D.C. to transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person of another, federal prosecutors said.

He retained criminal defense attorney Barry Coburn, who declined McClatchy News’ request for comment July 23.

In a statement of facts filed the day of Buchanan’s plea hearing, prosecutors wrote that “the United States does not allege that Buchanan necessarily intended to carry out this threat.”

Buchanan, when asked about his intentions by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on July 21, confirmed he wanted to cause harm, WUSA reported.

“That’s correct, your honor,” Buchanan said, according to the TV station. “I was intending to carry out a threat.”

Buchanan left five voicemails threatening the Palestinian rights group’s staff between Oct. 31, 2023 and Nov. 2, 2023, prosecutors said, a couple weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack against Israel that led to the ongoing war in Gaza, according to The Associated Press.

In one of two messages Buchanan left on Nov. 1, 2023, according to court documents, he said “we’re documenting you, your families, and everything. . . . You’re not Americans. You’re traitors.”

“Palestinians are going to die. By the hundreds of thousands,” he is accused of adding.

Afterward, the affidavit says Buchanan phoned again and left a voice message, calling the organization’s staff members “terrorists” and warning: “you’re dead people walking.”

“You’re gonna die,” Buchanan’s message continued, according to the filing. “And I’m gonna love it. So are your families…”

The next day Buchanan left two additional messages, including one in which the affidavit says he said:

“I hope your wives and children get raped and beheaded.”

In his final message, Buchanan said, according to the affidavit, that: “I hope every Muslim in the United States (expletive) croaks. I hope there’s a battle between Christianity and Islam because…because Jews and Christians will kick their (expletive).”

The FBI learned the calls came from a TracFone with Verizon as the carrier, the affidavit says. After receiving “GPS ‘ping’ data” from Verizon, the FBI tracked the phone to Utah, then learned it was purchased by Buchanan at a Walmart, according to the filing.

In pleading guilty to threatening the organization in D.C., prosecutors said Buchanan “admitted” these were targeted threats “because its staff and members are Palestinian, and because the organization advocates on behalf of Palestinians.”

His sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 18, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In addition to prison time, he is also facing up to a $250,000 fine.

According to The Associated Press’ July 23 report, militants led by Hamas killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and kidnapped 251 hostages nearly two years ago on Oct. 7.

Since then, the AP, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry data, reports “more than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war,” with the majority of deaths being women and children.

With Israel’s offensive in Gaza continuing, Palestinians are facing “mass starvation,” according to a July 23 report from Amnesty International, which says attacks have been occurring at food distribution sites in Gaza, endangering aid workers in addition to Palestinians.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a July 15 news release that “As of 13 July, we have recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food.”

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