Ridon Kola of Yonkers has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial after making explicit threats against Yonkers police officers and Mayor Mike Spano before the St. Patrick’s Day parade last year.
Local and federal authorities arrested 33-year-old Ridon Kola in March 2023. They raided his home in South Yonkers close to the McLean Ave parade route in the early morning hours. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York., Damian Williams, announced the charge of making threatening interstate communications.
Online threats of violence
Kola’s threats date back to 2021, with the Yonkers Police Department responding to his home at that time. Despite claiming no plans to harm officers or the Mayor, Kola’s online threats resurfaced in early 2023. This was just days before the Yonkers Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on March 18, 2023.
On March 6, Kola sent a menacing direct message to the YPD social media account. In it, he vowed to seek revenge for the perceived threats made against him and his family. His messages included phrases associated with radical Islamic extremism, further escalating concerns. Then, on March 9 he wrote a message that likely secured his arrest warrant.
I will crucify Yonkers cops and their bosses all along McLean ave. It will be a horror scene…Allahu Ekberr.
The indication of a time and place, namely the parade, seemed to remove any doubt this was an merely idle threat.
Mentally incompetent
Initially, Kola faced charges of making threatening interstate communications. As such, he potentially faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison. However, a psychologist recently determined that Kola was unable to assist properly in his defense. Upon this finding, he no longer faces time in prison. Instead, Ridon Kola will receive treatment in a mental facility for up to four months.
With this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade taking shape, the community of Yonkers looks forward to a year filled with fun and pride in it’s Irish heritage. And most importantly, free from dangerous threats from online antagonists.
