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Extremist reported by family pleads guilty to gun charge

WASHINGTON — A man whose relatives reported concerns about his behaviour and far-right extremist rhetoric after last year’s Pittsburgh synagogue massacre has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge.

Jeffrey Clark Jr., of Washington, D.C., faces a maximum of 10 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to one count of illegal possession of firearms by a person who is an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

The FBI said Clark followed Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect Robert Bowers on social media and referred to him as a “hero” in a post after the October 2018 shooting killed 11 people.

Clark was arrested after relatives called the FBI in November. Relatives told FBI agents that Clark became “really riled up” after his younger brother, Edward, shot and killed himself within hours of the Pittsburgh attack.

The Associated Press