A man accused of threatening Pelosi has also considered shooting the mayor of Washington, prosecutors say.

A man who traveled to Washington with an assault rifle last week and threatened to shoot President Nancy Pelosi had also considered shooting Washington Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in a court record.

The man, Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr., was among those indicted in federal court after the riot on the U.S. Capitol last week. The government, including footage of Mr Meredith’s weaponry, said he traveled to Washington with an assault rifle, a Glock firearm with high capacity magazines and more than 2,500 cartridges. Thursday, the day after the riot, he sent a text to read: “I can go to the mayor’s office and put a 5.56 in his head.”

As a violent rampage unfolded in the Capitol, Ms Bowser found herself at the center of the crisis, which she called a “domestic terrorist attack”. Asked about threats against her at a press conference on Wednesday, Ms Bowser said she regularly receives threats and that the Metropolitan Police Department will institute measures if necessary. The police chief declined to discuss details of the mayor’s security service.

In a series of texts, some with inflammatory language, Mr Meredith threatened to “burn DC” to the ground, announced it was “war time” and vowed to collect a “ton of traitor heads. “. In a separate threat against Ms Pelosi, he also considered ‘putting a bullet in his head on live television,’ according to a text leaked in the court file, which claimed Mr Meredith should be detained pending trial. .

Mr. Meredith, a Colorado resident, appeared to believe his texts were being monitored by law enforcement. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported in 2018 that he had erected a “#QANON” billboard and sported a logo for his company, “Car Nutz Car Wash.” The FBI has identified QAnon as a potential national terrorist threat.