Kansas Man Jailed in Alleged Plot to Assassinate Commentator Ben Shapiro in West Boca

Korby Allen Strube (left) and Ben Shapiro. (Credit: Palm Beach County Jail / Gage Skidmore – CC BY-SA 4.0)

A 29-year-old man has been charged with 25 felony counts after authorities say he posted a series of antisemitic threats on social media vowing to kill conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, a West Boca resident, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit.

Korby Allen Strube, of Horton, Kansas, was lodged in the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday, and faces 23 counts related to allegedly making written or electronic threats to kill or cause bodily harm, and two counts of using a two-way communications device to further a felony, the affidavit states. Investigators say each of the 23 threat counts was enhanced to a higher degree of felony because the threats evidenced prejudice based on the victim’s religion.

The case originated in Palm Beach County, where Shapiro lives, though the affidavit does not name him directly. According to the document, deputies identified “the intended victim” only as a specific Palm Beach County resident; Shapiro has since been confirmed as that resident.

According to the affidavit, the sheriff’s office was notified Aug. 4, 2026 of a string of public posts made between July 31 and Aug. 2 on the social media platform X from an account using the display name “Korby” and the handle @Ksqcrzk. The posts were first flagged by intelligence analysts with Fortified Risk Group, a private security firm that provides protective services connected to Shapiro, who alerted his security team, the affidavit states.

Investigators say the postings included “explicit, dated threats” to kill the victim, including one stating the author would “give the world a boost by killing Ben Shapiro for being Jewish,” and others invoking a countdown of “52 days” and “51 days” that, calculated from the posting dates, pointed to a date in September coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, according to the affidavit. Other posts cited in the document referenced antisemitic conspiracy theories and separately threatened President Donald Trump.

The affidavit states investigators traced the account through a combination of self-identifying details in the posts – including a reference to “Kory Strube” and two named relatives – along with subscriber records obtained from X, Google and Starlink, the satellite internet provider used at Strube’s Kansas residence. Investigators say the records, along with a search warrant, linked the account and associated email addresses to Strube’s home address in Horton, Kansas.

According to the affidavit, the case intersected with a separate, unrelated federal investigation into threats against the president. A U.S. Secret Service special agent from the Kansas City field office visited Strube’s home on Aug. 4 as part of that inquiry. During a voluntary interview at his family’s home, Strube, who was seated at the family’s kitchen table with his parents, was said to have acknowledged owning and posting from the X account after the agent read the threatening posts aloud to him, the affidavit states. The agent was not aware at the time of the separate threats against Shapiro, according to the document.

The affidavit states that during the interview, the agent’s case notes described Strube as exhibiting symptoms of paranoia, including beliefs that he was being surveilled and that his identity had been stolen, though it notes there was no reported history of mental health treatment, hospitalization or suicidal ideation. The affidavit states that Strube’s admission to authorship was made independently of the Shapiro-related investigation, and that his statements are considered self-incriminating as to the separate case.

According to the affidavit, a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective determined there was probable cause to arrest Strube based on the captured images of the posts, a sworn statement from Shapiro, subscriber records from the digital platforms, and Strube’s own admission. In his sworn statement described in the affidavit, Shapiro said he learned of the threats through his security team, described them as “not veiled,” and said the countdown “creates a layer of gravity” because it suggested planning tied to a specific date. He said the threats increased his anxiety but that he did not otherwise alter his routine, which supports prosecution.

The affidavit notes that a second X account associated with the same “Korby” identity remained active as of Aug. 23 and continued to post threats against other individuals, and that additional charges could follow from posts recovered through preserved provider records.

Strube remained in the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday, facing the 25 felony counts. He was being held without bail on the 23 electronic threat charges and in lieu of $300,000 combined bail on the two counts of using an electronic device to facilitate a crime.