A Twitter user has threatened to shoot up Mike Tyson’s one-man show at the Longacre Theater in midtown, pitting the NYPD against Twitter for the user’s identity in yet the latest Internet battle of safety versus privacy rights and freedom of speech. The NYPD was denied in its initial request for information, but is coming back today with a subpoena, according to the Post. For now, police officers are being stationed at the theater “until we find this guy,” police spokesman Paul Browne says.

The Post didn’t name the Twitter handle in its story, but we found @obamasmistress through a simple search of some of the threatening tweets. Here they are!

I might just shoot up this theater in new York I know they leave their exit doors unlocked. Ha now I gotta plan it step by step. — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 29, 2012

@ kristtysmith its not a threat it's a promise — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 29, 2012

Planning a murder is harder than I thought but people are going to die just like they did in the theater . — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 30, 2012

@ nicolemillernyc Well ima shoot that theater up tonight trust me — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) August 2, 2012

@ shaedee2 no once again it's not a joke I even got a hit list wit all the people ima kill on it. — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) August 3, 2012

@ shaedee2 no I had last minute plans and I'm in Florida rite now but it'll happen i promise I'm just finishing up my hit list — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) August 3, 2012

Kind of scary! Yet Twitter explained its decision to withhold the user’s information from the NYPD thusly:

“We appreciate the timeliness and sensitivity of this matter, and have reviewed the reported Twitter account,” the e-mail said. “While we do invoke emergency-disclosure procedures when it appears that a threat is present, specific and immediate, this does not appear to fall under those strict parameters as per our policies.”

So what about this doesn’t seem like a present, specific, and immediate threat, according to Twitter? Perhaps it was that @obamasmistress has also threatened to kill just about everyone, including Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Ellen Page, Rihanna, Perez Hilton, and Wendy Williams:

@ ellenpage bitch you on my hit list and Ima kill you that guy that said he was gonna kill you is bluffing but I'm not. I follow you everyday — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) August 6, 2012

Im still adding people to my hit list. I think Kristen Stewart will be next because she cheated on rob's sexy ass. WTF bitch — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 30, 2012

@ wendywilliams your on my hit list too bitch. Trust you will die — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 30, 2012

@ reairihannaa @ perfectposts you on my hit list bitch. Trust you will die and that's a promise. — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 30, 2012

@ perezhilton you are also on my hit list too. I'm coming for you, you faggot — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 30, 2012

@ justinibielber you are on my hit list I am so fucking sick of people praising you. Your just a boy but you bout to be a dead boy real soon. — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 30, 2012

@ chrisbrown I am by getting rid of some people. Your on my hit list I like you but u gotta die — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 30, 2012

@ kimkardashian @ jonathancheban bitch ima kill you and your whole family. I'm watching y'all and ima make y'all sorry y'all met me. — Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress) July 29, 2012

In other words, @obamasmistress appears to be your garden variety troll. Could Twitter err on the side of safety here? Sure. But it’s making a judgement call that the massacre threat is not credible enough to warrant compromising a user’s free-speech rights. Now if “Anonymous Celebrity” was criticizing the Olympics, that would be a different story.