Roger Stone ordered back to court over crosshairs Instagram photo

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Republican operative Roger Stone has been ordered back to court to explain a social media posting that depicted his case's judge with a crosshairs target next to her head.

Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Tuesday Stone must show up to give her a reason why she shouldn't modify or entirely revoke his bond after he posted the photo to Instagram. The image was later deleted.

Stone called special counsel Robert Mueller a "Deep State hitman" and said Jackson is a President Barack Obama appointee who dismissed charges against Hillary Clinton for the 2012 terror attack in Benghazi, Libya.

"Help me fight for my life at @StoneDefenseFund.com," he wrote in the post.

Stone denied the image was meant as a threat to Jackson, saying rather it was a "random photo taken from the Internet."

"Please inform the court that the photograph and comment today was improper and should not have been posted," Stone said. "I had no intention of disrespecting the court and humbly apologize to the court for the transgression."

Stone could be sent to jail if Jackson revokes his $250,000 bond. He's also under a gag order.

Stone has been free since posting bond after his arrest in Florida last month on charges related to Mueller's Justice Department Russia investigation. He told NBC News Tuesday he will "be present for the hearing as ordered."

Stone faces charges of witness tampering, obstruction of justice and making false statements to Congress.