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| Martin Astrof was arrested Friday after police say he threatened a campaign worker for U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin. Photo courtesy Suffolk County Police |
By Ray Downs, UPI
A New York man was arrested Friday after he threatened to kill supporters of President Donald Trump and Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., authorities said.
[post_ads]Police say Martin Astrof, 75, went to Zeldin's campaign headquarters in Nesconset, N.Y., on Long Island Friday and "became irate" with a campaign worker before he began making threats.
"After threatening to kill the campaign worker and other supporters, Astrof backed his car up in an aggressive manner nearly striking the worker," Suffolk County police said in a statement. "Astrof fled the scene and was arrested a short time later in front of his home in Nesconset."
Astrof was charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, and second degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.
Zeldin said the man who was attacked was Donato Panico, a former deli owner who helped feed first responders after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and was Zeldin's guest at Trump's State of the Union address in January, The New York Daily News reported.
"In the U.S., political scores are settled at the ballot box, not by trying to kill your political opponents," Zeldin tweeted on Friday. "Donato Panico is a great American, supporter of @realDonaldTrump & one of my campaign vols. He shouldn't have been targeted like this today for his passion & involvement."
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