Kansas man arrested for threatening to murder Ben Shapiro on Yom Kippur

“Go meet Jesus,” would be assassin told Ben Shapiro, while threatening to assassinate him on Yom Kippur.

By World Israel News Staff

A 29-year-old Kansas man has been arrested in Florida he repeatedly threatened to kill conservative commentator Ben Shapiro in social media posts that investigators say invoked Shapiro’s Jewish identity and included an apparent countdown to Yom Kippur.

Korby A. Strube, of Horton, Kansas, was arrested in Palm Beach County on September 12 and faces 23 counts related to written or electronic threats to kill or cause bodily harm, along with two counts of using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony, according to court records and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation centers on a series of posts made on X between July 31 and August 2.

According to a probable-cause affidavit, the posts repeatedly threatened Shapiro and included explicit references to his religion.

One of the messages said the writer would be “giving the world a boost by killing Ben Shapiro for being Jewish,” according to the affidavit.

“I’ll kill you just the same. Go meet Jesus. 51 days left,” Strube wrote.

Investigators said several messages included references to “51 days” or “52 days left.”

Working from the dates on which the messages were posted, authorities concluded that the countdown appeared to point toward September 21-22, coinciding with Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

Korby A. Strube, a Kansas resident arrested over death threats against Ben Shapiro. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office opened its investigation on August 4 after Fortified Risk Group, a private security company providing protection for Shapiro, supplied investigators with screenshots of threatening posts from an X account, according to local station WPBF.

The account was subsequently suspended.

Authorities said the investigation linked the account to Strube through records from X, Google and Starlink.

Subscriber and internet records pointed investigators to Strube’s address in Kansas, according to reports describing the affidavit.

Investigators also learned that Strube had already been questioned in an unrelated Secret Service investigation.

A US Secret Service agent and a Brown County, Kansas, law-enforcement official went to his home on August 4 in connection with separate alleged threats involving President Donald Trump and other political figures.

According to the affidavit, Strube acknowledged operating several X accounts and admitted writing threatening social media posts. The Secret Service agent was reportedly unaware at the time that a separate investigation concerning threats against Shapiro was underway.

Kansas television station KWCH reported that posts attributed to Strube also contained threats against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and podcaster Joe Rogan.

The Florida charges, however, stem from the alleged threats directed at Shapiro.

Shapiro, a co-founder of The Daily Wire who resides in Palm Beach County, told investigators that his security team first alerted him to the messages.

After reviewing them himself, Shapiro described the threats as “not veiled,” according to the arrest affidavit.

He also told investigators that the countdown “creates a layer of gravity” because it appeared to indicate planning around a particular date.

Shapiro told authorities that he believed his Jewish faith was at least partly behind the threats and that he wanted charges pursued.

The affidavit characterized several of the messages as invoking antisemitic themes and noted references to Jews, “Tel Aviv” and a foreign government.

Florida authorities are treating religious prejudice as an aggravating factor in the case.

WPBF reported that the 23 alleged threat offenses include prejudice enhancements connected to Shapiro’s religion, while court records also list two communications-device charges.

Strube was ordered held without bond on the threat counts, according to court records cited by local and national reports.

Boca Daily News reported that separate bail totaling $300,000 was set on the two communications-device charges.

The arrest became public as Shapiro discussed the security precautions surrounding his family in a separate interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.

“I’ve had 24/7 security for the last 10 years,” Shapiro said, describing guards accompanying him during ordinary activities, including family outings and trips to stores.

“Security is a real concern,” he added.

assassination plotBen ShapiroYom Kippur