A former Florida congressional candidate who allegedly threatened his campaign rival with a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” two years ago has been arrested in the Philippines.
William Robert Braddock III, 39, was nabbed on Roxas Boulevard in Manila as part of a joint operation between the Bureau of Immigration Fugitive Search Unit (FSU), the FBI, and the US Diplomatic Security Service-Overseas Criminal Investigations, the Manila Bulletin reported.
It is not clear how long Braddock, who was taken into custody as an illegal alien, has been in the country.
He is currently being held at a detention facility in Taguig City pending his extradition to the US, where he will face an outstanding Florida arrest warrant stemming from the threats he allegedly made against his political rival two years ago, the Daily Tribune said.
Braddock was vying for Florida’s 13th District congressional seat as a Republican candidate in June 2021 when he was recorded voicing bizarre threats against his main rival, Anna Paulina Luna.
“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” he said in the bizarre conversation, which was recorded by conservative activist Erin Olszewski and initially shared by POLITICO.
“That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f—ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.”
In the rambling recording, Braddock can also be heard talking about his “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” that was supposedly set to take Luna out if she threatened his victory.
“Don’t get caught out in public supporting Luna,” he warned Olszewski.
“Luna’s gonna go down and I hope it’s by herself.”
Braddock vehemently denied the content of the conversation, telling POLITICO it “may even be altered and edited.”
He initially skirted criminal charges, but Luna was granted a temporary stalking injunction against him shortly after his alleged threats were made public.
Braddock later dropped out of the race.
Luna, 34, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. When she won the 13th Congressional District seat in 2022, she became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress in Florida.
In a statement following Braddock’s arrest, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the Philippine authorities planned to cooperate with US officials on Braddock extradition.
“Foreign fugitives are not welcome on Philippine soil,” he said, according to the Daily Tribune.
“We will continue our close cooperation with international partners to bring fugitives to justice.”
Luna’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.
