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A wounded Army vet jailed for saying he felt like “tearing Washington, D.C. apart brick-by-brick” over his medical care says he is not a terrorist.
Christopher Gillette’s classroom rant led to a 90-minute lock-down on the Texas Woman’s University.
He was arrested later at a Dallas VA hospital where he went for treatment and charged with making terrorist threats.
From behind bars, Gillette told WFAA-TV and KXAS-TV that he has had thoughts of overthrowing the government, but they have nothing to do with the school.
“The First Amendment to the Constitution — I can say that,” he said. “I can say, ‘I hate my government.’ I can say, ‘I want to overthrow my government.’ Now, if I drive into Washington, D.C., with assault weapons, then that’s a different story.”
He said he suffers from back and pelvic pain, and erupted in class because it hurt too much.
“I think the medical care and support I have received from the Department of Veterans Affairs borders on criminal negligence,” Gillette said.
Gillette said he has no guns, no criminal record, and no mental problems, but he told reporters he is okay with what he called “controlled military action” against the government.
He said he doesn’t know what that entails, but some things he is sure of:
“I don’t know if I need to get armed people and arrest the Congress; I don’t know what I need to do, but I’m in pain and I need help.”
[via WFAA-TV and KXAS-TV]
