Tennessee man hit with terrorism charge after allegedly threatening to 'butcher' Catholic churchgoers

A Tennessee man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to "butcher" parishioners at a Memphis Catholic church.

30-year-old Zachary Vizee Liberto has been charged with Commission of Act of Terrorism and is being held on a $200,100 bond.

On Friday, officers responded to the church and were met by two male victims, one being a priest and the other being a music minister. Liberto reportedly had gotten into a verbal altercation with one of the victims and then allegedly defaced the church’s baptismal pool, per WREG.

An email allegedly sent by Liberto to one of the victims stated, "I need a video of [redacted] getting slapped by you in 24 hours before I butcher people in that church with a machete." The victims said they knew Liberto had a machete that he referred to as a "chete."



According to Fox News, the victims told police that they did not know what caused Liberto to send the email but noted that they believe he suffers from a mental illness and stays in a homeless encampment.

Investigators obtained a recording from a parishioner of the church who spoke with Liberto on the phone, during which Liberto was heard saying, "I will not f*cking let people threaten and mock me all day and not go f*cking do something about it… I’ll do time about it today."

Rick Ouellette, a spokesperson with the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, said that authorities were immediately notified and thanked them for "apprehending the suspect in a quick amount of time." He added, "The safety and security of everyone on campus is a top priority."

On social media, Liberto was seen posing in women's attire and makeup, and writing about "how good it feels to be a girl" and "sissy hypnosis."