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Vero Beach ‘terrorist’ threatened to kill mayor, police chief, sheriff

VERO BEACH — New details have been released in the case against Jason Kozdra, the Vero Beach man who claimed he was a member of a terrorist group and that there was a bomb in the car he crashed over the weekend.

He remains in jail on over $2 million bond, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

More information has been released from the arrest affidavit of Kozdra, including that he had been traveling approximately 80 mph when he was seen by authorities sharply turning the steering wheel, crashing into the curb, and flipping it over on Saturday afternoon.

When Kozdra arrived at the Indian River County Jail he threatened the lives of all law enforcement and correctional officers, according to authorities. Kozdra also threatened to kill the Vero Beach mayor, Police Chief David Currey, and Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar.

Kozdra also said a school in Indian River County would blow up in the following six hours at the time of his arrest, said authorities. When transported back from Indian River Medical Center, Kozdra said that the school would blow up Sunday or within the next two weeks.

“I might even blow up my kids’ school,” said Kozdra, according to the affidavit.

When Kozdra was searched, authorities found a thumb drive on him, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Kozdra said it contained “a lot of terrorist attacks plans and an assassination on the President of the United States.”

During an interview with authorities, Kozdra said he did not recall making any bomb threats due to having a “very active day,” according to the affidavit. He also said that as long as he is in jail he does not think that any schools would blow up and he did not plant any bombs with any schools himself, but others might do it on his behalf.

Kozdra went on to say he planned to retaliate against every police officer for as long as it takes, according to the affidavit.

Kozdra said during the interview that it is best to keep him locked up inside the jail because, given the opportunity, he would kill every law enforcement officer upon his release, according to authorities.

Kozdra told authorities that he was upset with law enforcement because, he said, California police murdered Kelly Thomas. He said all law enforcement would be held responsible for it, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Thomas was a homeless schizophrenic in California who sustained injuries from officers during an altercation in 2011. In 2013, the officers were found not guilty of murder or involuntary manslaughter charges.

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