A 32-year-old man from Pennsylvania has been charged with making federal threats to assault and assassinate President Donald Trump, other U.S. officials, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Shawn Monper, who was arrested on Wednesday in Butler, Pennsylvania, allegedly made several violent threats online. This area is notable for being the location where the president was shot during a campaign rally last July.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi praised the FBI and the local police for their swift action in identifying and apprehending Monper before he could act on his threats. “I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” Bondi stated. “Rest assured that whenever and wherever threats of assassination or mass violence occur, this Department of Justice will find, arrest, and prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law and seek the maximum appropriate punishment.”
The FBI’s investigation began when Monper’s YouTube account, under the name “Mr. Satan,” was flagged. Between January 15 and April 5, Monper made multiple threatening statements, including declaring his intention to assassinate Trump, make attacks against ICE agents, and carry out a mass shooting. Some of his statements included, “I’m going to assassinate Trump myself,” and “ICE are terrorist people, we need to start killing them.”
On February 17, Monper made additional remarks, including a call to “start killing people, Trump, Elon [Musk], all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way,” and expressed support for a second American revolution.
The investigation also revealed that Monper had obtained a firearms permit following Trump’s inauguration, and he made multiple posts on his YouTube channel boasting about acquiring guns, body armor, and ammunition since the election.
On April 1, he also made another threat directed at ICE, stating that he would view armed agents as “domestic terrorists” and would “open fire” on them.
The Butler Township Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI, is continuing to investigate the case. Monper faces serious federal charges related to the threats against the president and other officials.
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