Georgia Senator-Elect Raphael Warnock’s Sermon Interrupted By Hackers
Ever since Rev. Raphael Warnock became a newly-elected Georgia senator, he has received an onslaught of hate. The latest incident occurred when hackers disrupted his sermon at a virtual Shabbat service on Jan. 15 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
According to Forward.com, Warnock, who is the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, was interrupted at the annual event, which has happened for the past decade.
Kent Alexander, the synagogue’s president, wrote in an emailed statement, “To the many of you who tried to log on through the Temple website but could not, and missed the service, we apologize and want to offer an explanation.”
Alexander continued, “Our website service provider informed our executive director, Mark Jacobson, last night that ‘malicious user agents’ had continuously loaded the Temple website with the objective of shutting it down. In doing so, they blocked access not only to The Temple, but to every other synagogue client website across the country.”
He also stated , “Eventually, access was restored for all, but The Temple was last. Our site was down for over an hour into the service. Mark was told this was the largest-ever attack affecting the provider’s network of client synagogues.”
Just last week, a man identified as a Proud Boys supporter was reportedly arrested at his Queens, New York home after allegedly making social media threats about killing newly-elected Georgia senator Raphael Warnock.
Prosecutors also claim Florea promised to travel to Washington D.C. and slice “a throat” at the Jan. 6 riot. The Associated Press reports that in another post alleged to be made by Florea, he threatened Warnock’s life. The details of the threat are currently unclear.
Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff won both of Georgia’s Jan. 5 Senatorial runoff elections, defeating incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. The victories turn control of the U.S. Senate over to Democrats once the two take office at the end of the month.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara ordered Florea to be held without bail, claiming evidence recovered suggested: “a premeditated plan to exact violence against people in New York and people in Washington.”
