Kirkland man pleads guilty to sending out anti-Muslim messages online

Antonio Padula leaves the Montreal courthouse on bail on Thursday, Feb. 2.

A 46-year-old Kirkland man pleaded guilty Monday morning to sending out hate messages on social media.

Antonio Padula posted on Twitter in January urging his followers to kill all Muslims, and wrote similar messages against refugees.

Padula argued at the time that the tweets were meant to be sarcastic.

Court records show he pleaded guilty to one count of public incitement of hatred. He was given a conditional discharge, avoiding a criminal record.

As part of a plea bargain, Padula will be on probation for a year. He is also forbidden from having a social media account.

By making the plea deal, Padula avoided a possible sentence of more than a year in jail.