Violent, Racist Threat Against Delco Sheriff Under Investigation: Officials

Editor's note: This article contains detailed threats of violence, along with racist and Islamophobic language that readers may find disturbing.

MEDIA, PA — A graphic voicemail containing racist and Islamophobic threats of violence against Delaware County's sheriff is under investigation, authorities said.

The voicemail was left this past weekend with the Sheriff's Office and specifically targeted Sheriff Siddiq Kamara, officials said.

In a 40-second recording shared with media, the caller used the N-word, said "death to Islam," and threatened to hunt the victim down and feed him his intestines.

The Delaware County District Attorney's Office is investigating the matter.

"We are releasing the voicemail because the people of Delaware County deserve transparency and deserve to understand the seriousness of what occurred," Kamara said in a statement. "Let me be clear: there is a fundamental difference between criticism and criminal conduct. Public officials should expect scrutiny, disagreement, and accountability — that is part of our democracy. But threats of violence, intimidation and hate cross the line and will be treated accordingly."

Kamara was elected last year, becoming the nation's youngest sheriff at age 30. His decision to run stemmed from the death of his 8-year-old cousin, Fanta Bility, who was killed in 2021 when police fired into a crowd after a football game in Sharon Hill.

He served as a police officer and Yeadon and was selected as a special agent with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

The Delaware County Council called the voicemail a "disturbing, Islamophobic, and racist threat of violence" that specifically targeted Kamara.

"Delaware County Council unequivocally condemns these threats in the strongest possible terms," the council said in a statement. "Spirited disagreement with public officials is one thing, violent threats and attacks based on race and creed are quite another."