Man accused of forcing US congressman off road turns himself in

A man who allegedly threatened a US congressman with his vehicle in Ohio has turned himself in to the authorities, police have said.

The driver was identified by the Rocky River Police Department on Friday as 36-year-old Feras Hamdan. He has pleaded not guilty to charges in relation the incident.

In a video shared on social media, Max Miller, a Republican house representative, said a man honked his horn and forced him “off the road” in an attempt to get his attention.

He alleged the man tried to show him a Palestinian flag, said “death to Israel” and that “he wanted to kill me and my family”.

Police said they put out a warrant for Mr Hamdan’s arrest after the congressman filed a criminal complaint. They said Mr Hamdan turned himself shortly after.

The incident, which occurred in Rocky River, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, is now under investigation by state and federal authorities, including the US Capitol Police.

Mr Hamdan, who is reported to be a doctor in Ohio with a private practice, faces charges of aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation.

He appeared in court on Friday, where his bond was set at $500,000 (£371,500) by Rocky River Municipal Court Judge Joseph Burke. He was ordered to surrender his passport and is due back in court on 8 July.

On Thursday afternoon, Miller posted a video on X describing the alleged incident, calling the driver “unhinged”.

“The deranged hatred in this country has grown out of control,” he wrote in the post.

Miller added that “as a Marine, a proud Jewish American and a staunch defender of Israel, I will not hide in the face of this blatant antisemitic violence”.

The incident comes at the heels of a fatal attack on two Democratic state politicians in Minnesota and their spouses, an incident that has raised the alarm on political violence in the US.

State lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their homes on Saturday in what has been described as a “politically motivated assassination.” Another lawmaker, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot but survived.

Police have arrested Vance Luther Boelter in connection to the Minnesota attacks, whom investigators say had a list of 70 “targets” that included names of other Democratic politicians.

President Donald Trump has also been the target of political violence, with two assassination attempts against him in 2024.