Twin Falls Officials Face Backlash Over Refugee Assault Case

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Twin Falls officials have been inundated with angry emails in connection to a juvenile case in which three underage boys from Iraq and Sudan are accused of assaulting a 5-year-old girl.

The Times-News reports that City Council members and City Manager Travis Rothweiler have received more than 100 emails from people upset about the case, which opponents of Islam and of refugee resettlement say validates their beliefs about Muslims. City officials have been forwarding some of the emails and voicemails to police and the FBI, as they contain threats of death and rape.

The case is sealed because of the ages of the accused, but Police Chief Craig Kingsbury has refuted allegations that were circulating on social media and conspiracy-oriented websites that three young Syrian refugees raped the girl.