A Dayton man is now facing federal charges after allegedly posting a disturbing and racist threat on social media that called for the mass murder of Black people in Cincinnati.
According to the FBI, 30-year-old Scott Michael Hanna was arrested after investigators linked him to a July 31 post on X, where he wrote about “organizing mobs to kill all the apes in Cincinnati.” He claimed he wanted to “paint the town red” and kill 30,000 people by Sunday. The term “apes” is a known racial slur aimed at Black individuals.
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The post was reported to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force by the Cincinnati Police Department. After reviewing the account, federal agents traced it back to Hanna and charged him with making an interstate communication with a threat to injure, a federal crime that carries up to five years in prison.
This is not Hanna’s first encounter with law enforcement. In September 2024, officers responded to his home for a menacing incident. During the call, he allegedly threatened to decapitate someone and later swung a sword at a woman, seriously injuring her. Police say he also used a racial slur when speaking to a responding officer.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, with support from multiple local departments.
Authorities are treating the case with urgency due to its violent and racially motivated nature. While Hanna has not yet been convicted, officials made it clear that hate-filled threats like this carry real consequences.
