Man arrested for threat to Reagan

Press, 9 April 1981, Page 8

Man arrested for threat to Reagan

NZPA-Reuter New York American Federal agents are studying some bizarre links between a 22-year-old man charged yesterdaj' with threatening to" kill President Reagan and the man accused of wounding the President last week. Edward Richardson, armed with a .32 calibre pistol, was, arrested yesterday at a New York bus station after leaving a note in his hotel room saying he was going to kill Mr Reagan. He appeared before a magistrate and was held on bail of half a million dollars. A Federal prosecutor, John Martin, said Richardson admitted that he intended killing either the President, the Secretary of State (Mr Alexander Haig), or a conservative senator, Jesse Helms.

Federal agents and other law officers revealed a series of linking factors between Richardson and 25-year-old John Hinckley, the man charged with shooting the President nine days ago. But they said there was no evidence of a conspiracy so far.

Both men had communicated with the teenage actress, Jodie Foster, they had both stayed in the same hotel in New Haven, Connecticut within days of each other and Richardson had lived

32km from Hinckley's Colorado home until last month. James Griffiths, head of the Secret Service office in Denver, Colorado, told reporters no connection between the two men had been discovered so far. At his arraignment hearing. Richardson admitted anonymously threatening Miss Foster with a bomb attack and writing her a letter. Hinckley had also made regular contact with the actress, although his letters contained expressions of undying love. Richardson spent from last Thursday to yesterday in the same New Haven hotel where Hinckley stayed last month. A note containing the assassination threat was found in his room. In New Haven, the F. 8.1. said Richardson left bullets in his hotel room along with the note that “Ronald Reagan will be shot to death and this country turned to the Left.” The note, addressed to “the fascist powers,” read: “I depart now for Washington, D.C., to bring to completion Hinckleys [sic] reality. Ultimately Ronald Reagan will be shot to death and this country turned to the ‘Left.’ “If I cannot get at the President, I am prepared to

slav some other prominent •Right-wing’ political figure.” said the note signed by "Edward Richardson — Inter. Peoples Court.” The prosecutor said Richardson worked most recently with a landscaper in Pennsylvania and served briefly in the Air Force where he had "stabbed someone.” “We’re shocked.” said the suspect's father. Joseph Richardson, a retired mail carrier. “I have nothing to say. I want to wait until I talk to him.”

Paul Smith, aged 20, an acquaintance of the suspect, said the arrest was not Richardson's first brush with the Secret Service. Mr Smith said he and Richardson went to a political rally for Jimmy Carter last autumn (northern) in downtown Philadelphia. “We were just standing there and these two Secret Service men walked over and said the.y wanted to frisk us,” Mr Smith said. “Must have been he (Richardson) looked suspicious or something.” Mr Smith said that after he and Richardson were frisked, Richardson pointed his fingers as if to make a pistol, pointed the hand at Mr Carter and said, “I will blow him away some day.”