A Berryville man has been arrested, accused of threatening to kill his wife and "homosexuals" at the Eureka Springs restaurant where she works, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in Carroll County Circuit Court.
During a Nov. 16 argument, Jeremiah Bliss-Leija told his wife that he was going to buy an automatic rifle, kill people at Cafe Amore and "die an honorable death by bringing jihad to Berryville," according to the affidavit from Berryville police officer C. Boren.
Bliss-Leija was vocal about his hatred of homosexuals and said he believed Cafe Amore was "owned and operated by homosexuals," according to the affidavit.
Bliss-Leija's wife told police that he threatened to "slit her throat," according to reports.
Associating with homosexuals was "not permitted, according to the Torah," he told police.
In Judaism, the Torah refers to the law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Bliss-Leija was arrested Nov. 17 and charged Nov. 23 with terroristic threatening, making a terroristic threat and assault on a family member. The first two charges are felonies. He remained in the Carroll County jail in Berryville on Wednesday with bail set at $250,000.
The probable-cause affidavit was filed Nov. 22 and made public Wednesday.
During a Nov. 17 interview with Berryville police, Bliss-Leija said it "could be interpreted" that he is a terrorist, and he was once detained overnight by the Transportation Security Administration during a flight to Israel.
Bliss-Leija told police that he never threatened to kill anyone and that his wife misconstrued statements he made during an intense argument.
"Jeremiah advised that according to the Torah homosexuals deserve capital punishment, to be put to death," the affidavit said. "He stated this is the statement he made to his wife the prior evening. ... Jeremiah advised that his statement in regard to the death of homosexuals could be interpreted that he does want to kill homosexuals. Jeremiah advised that he did not make any effort to correct [his wife's] misinterpretation of his statements."
On June 11, Bliss-Leija, then 28, was issued a citation for third-degree battery after he pepper-sprayed a man at a Eureka Springs campground. Bliss-Leija is scheduled for a Jan. 17 hearing in Eureka Springs District Court on that misdemeanor charge.
[EMAIL UPDATES: Sign up for free breaking email alerts and other Democrat-Gazette daily news updates]
Bliss-Leija's wife told police that the man he attacked in June is gay, but Bliss-Leija said he didn't know that at the time, according to reports. According to a Eureka Springs Police Department report, Bliss-Leija believed that his wife was cheating on him and he pepper-sprayed a man who was talking to her.
Bliss-Leija told Eureka Springs police on June 13 that "it was his duty, appointed by God" to kill homosexuals, according to their report.
Bliss-Leija told his wife that he would have stabbed the man instead of pepper-spraying him if anything sharp had been nearby, according to a petition she filed for a protective order for her and the couple's four children. The order was granted Nov. 23.
According to Boren's affidavit, Bliss-Leija said he owns a .25-caliber handgun and if he were to purchase a rifle he would do so at a local pawnshop.
"Jeremiah's mother is German and his father is Mexican," according to the probable-cause affidavit. "He was born in Orange County, Calif. But it should be noted that Jeremiah speaks with an Arabic accent. This accent would come and go during the interview."
Bliss-Leija told Berryville police that he spends a lot of time in discussion groups on the Internet and about 60 percent of them are "Arab groups."
Bliss-Leija has yet to enter a plea in the circuit court case. He is scheduled for arraignment Dec. 12.
Tony Rogers, the Carroll County prosecutor, said Bliss-Leija has no known history of mental illness.
Metro on 12/01/2016