An 18-year-old man faces significant criminal charges after an attack on a reproductive health facility, thanks to surveillance footage and his own social media posts, which led the FBI to his door.
Samuel James Gulick was charged Monday in federal court in Wilmington, Del., after allegedly throwing an incendiary device and vandalizing a Planned Parenthood facility on Jan. 3. U.S. News and World Report reveals that, according to court documents, Gulick spray-painted a Latin phrase across an exterior wall before throwing a lit object through the window, resulting in a short-lived fire that damaged the building.
Authorities identified Gulick through his license plates, visible in surveillance footage, as well as through his distinctively alt-right social media footprint. He is currently in federal custody facing three charges, CNN reported.
Gulick’s graffiti read ”Deus Vult,” which means “God wills it” in Latin. Historically, “Deus Vult” is known as a battle phrase used by Christian Crusaders in the 11th century, and has been predominantly used in film and story. Over the past few years, unfortunately, the Latin phrase has been embraced by the alt-right, and used as a means of expressing anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate without directly using hate speech. The phrase is a popular Twitter hashtag used to defend President Donald Trump’s hateful ideology, and spread due to its use in protest and vandalism. Many white nationalists and Trump supporters alike also use the phrase to refer to a modern crusade, or holy war, between Islam and Christianity; additionally, the phrase is also a popular meme and rally cry in defense of alt-right rhetoric.
Gulick’s hate-filled Instagram profile depicted serval anti-abortion posts. Not only did his Instagram biography contain the same phrase, “Deus Vult”, but his profile picture was of Pepe the Frog, the cartoon often used by the white nationalist America First Movement, according to a screenshot included in court documents, Buzzfeed News reported.
Planned Parenthood of Delaware CEO and president Ruth Lytle-Barnaby, in an interview with CNN, vowed that Gulick’s attack would not stop the 85-year-old organization from providing reproductive healthcare services. "I view this as an act of domestic terrorism, and an attack on health and reproductive rights and yet another way to limit women's freedom to have body autonomy," Lytle-Barnaby said, noting that “everybody should be able to access healthcare without fear, shame or stigma.”
Gulick faces three charges: intentionally damaging a facility that provides reproductive health services, damaging a building used in interstate commerce through the use of fire or a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device under the National Firearms Act, the U.S. Attorney's office in Delaware said. If convicted of the most serious charge—intentionally damaging a health service facility—he could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.