Arkansas man accused of threatening Walmart mass shooting over hantavirus lockdown fears

An Arkansas man was arrested Friday after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a Walmart if the United States went into lockdown over a hantavirus outbreak, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities identified the suspect as 20-year-old Aaron Bynum of Oakland. He faces charges of first-degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications, sheriff’s officials said. The arrest followed an investigation into online threats allegedly made by Bynum on May 9.

The FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received a tip from an individual playing an online video game. The tipster claimed another player threatened a Walmart shooting if the country experienced another lockdown related to hantavirus. The tip included the gamer’s username and an in-game recording of the threats.

Investigators subpoenaed the game’s parent company, which identified Bynum as the account owner. The FBI’s Fayetteville Field Office then alerted local authorities. A search warrant was executed at Bynum’s residence, where officials seized his computer and related devices. Bynum was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Marion County Detention Center on a $2,500 bond.

The hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship has resulted in multiple illnesses, including three deaths. As of May 13, the World Health Organization reported 11 cases connected to the outbreak, with eight confirmed, two probable, and one inconclusive. Canadian health officials confirmed that one of four Canadians returned from the ship tested positive, bringing the total confirmed cases to 10.

Health experts say hantavirus, particularly the Andes strain involved in this outbreak, spreads very rarely from person to person. CDC officials note that transmission requires close, prolonged contact with a symptomatic individual and is not airborne like respiratory viruses.

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