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LAUGHLIN, Nevada -- The man wanted on a federal charge of making threats against President Barack Obama has been arrested, Utah authorities confirmed to KSL.
Daniel James Murray, 36, was arrested about 7 p.m. Friday in a parking lot outside the Riverside Casino in Laughlin, Nev. He was taken into custody by local police and Secret Service agents.
"He was arrested without incident," said Malcolm Wiley with the U.S. Secret Service. He declined to release any more information about the arrest or how authorities came to know Murray's whereabouts.
Murray is accused of threatening to kill the president during a bizarre confrontation at a St. George bank last month. Charging documents filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City claim the man told a St. George bank teller he is "on a mission to kill the president of the United States."
Days later, Murray returned to the bank to withdraw more than $12,000 in bills no larger than a $50 bill and in a non-sequential order, the criminal complaint said.
A Secret Service agent wrote in an affidavit that when there were problems making the withdrawal, Murray became upset. "Not to be disrespectful, but if I don't get this money, someone is going to die," he is accused of saying.
While his cash was counted, the Secret Service agent wrote that Murray said, "We are 94 million miles from the sun and are in between the sun and moon, and the eagle that flies between them, and it's a giant step for mankind ... I have traveled thousands of miles to be here and know things that are going to happen ... the banking system will fail and people will die ... there will be chaos in the world."
As the teller handed him the cash, the charging documents claim Murray said, "We are on a mission to kill the president of the United States." The next day, Murray cleaned out the bank account.
Of particular concern to federal authorities was the fact that Murray had eight handguns registered to him. Federal prosecutors do not typically file such a charge unless they believe someone is capable of carrying it out.
However, Murray's former neighbors and even his father disputed how dangerous he was. Murray's father told the Albany Times-Union newspaper "he's sick," referring to his son's mental state.
Barbara Bearnson, an assistant U.S. Attorney for Utah, said Murray likely will have an initial court appearance on Monday before he is returned to Utah to face the federal charge.
E-mail:bwinslow@ksl.com
