Bradford James Gille was identified as the suspect who injured at least 11 people at the Traverse City, Michigan Walmart on Saturday. The Afton local, 42, is expected to face terrorism and multiple assault charges, authorities said Sunday. Now, his alleged social media posts about Hitler and the Israel-Palestine conflict have surfaced on X.
We found an X account named Bradford James Gille (@BradfordGille) with tweets about Palestine and Hitler dating back to 2022-2023. However, at this time, Hindustan Times cannot verify if the account is linked to the Michigan stabbing suspect.
Read More: Traverse City Walmart stabbing suspect confronted by shoppers; dramatic video of takedown emerges
“If Israel became a country by killing Palestinians and stealing their land when did that happen because hasn't that land always been God's dwelling place?” the latest tweet on the account reads.
The user posted about Hitler in 2022. Along with the German dictator's photo, they wrote: “There were 10 dreams and 1 possible flashback I had about me being in WW2. This photograph shows Hitler greeting one of his soldiers who looks like me from what I can still tell being in the shade and if he is I pray that I was one of the soldiers who helped the Jews escape.”
The 42-year-old was identified during a Grand Traverse County press conference on Sunday. Officials revealed that Gille was detained by several shoppers at the Walmart's parking lot before officers arrested him.
{{/usCountry}}The 42-year-old was identified during a Grand Traverse County press conference on Sunday. Officials revealed that Gille was detained by several shoppers at the Walmart's parking lot before officers arrested him.
{{/usCountry}}Sheriff Michael Shea said a motive behind the attack remains unclear. Gille had ‘prior assaultive incidents as well as controlled substance violations’.
“I cannot commend everyone that was involved enough. When you stop and look from the time of call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute,” Shea said at a press conference. “That is remarkable. When you look at it in that mitigated Lord knows how many additional victims.”
Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg told reporters that the terrorism charge will be brought.
“It’s something that is done not to individual people, not to those individual victims — obviously they are most affected — but it is we believe in some and some ways done to affect the entire community, to put fear in the entire community and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis,” Moeggenberg said. "So that is why we are looking at that terrorism charge."
Shea said the 11 victims were both men and women and they ranged in age from 29 to 84 and included one Walmart employee. All the victims are expected to survive.
(With AP inputs)