A data center opponent was arrested after police said he threatened a local official

• An Illinois man said he tried to organize a protest around a data center development opportunity.
• He was arrested 12 hours later after police said he made threats to a local official.
• Data center proposals across the US have faced increased public opposition.

The growing opposition has also drawn attention from local and federal law enforcement groups: Wired reported that an intelligence report from the New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau highlighted “anti-tech violent extremist activity” resulting from the rise of AI technology.