A Butler, Pennsylvania, man, 32-year-old Shawn Monper, was arrested and brought into federal custody after threatening to assassinate former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and several government officials, the authorities said. Monper, going by the name ‘Mr Satan’, made the threats in comments he left on YouTube videos, a federal criminal complaint stated.
The FBI was notified by Google on Tuesday after inappropriate comments were marked under political livestreams and videos. Among the comments, made during a March 4 live stream of Trump speaking before a joint session of Congress, was: “I’m going to assassinate him myself.”
Momper’s Threats
Monper’s threats also included violent remarks on a February 17 stream where he said, “Nah, we just need to start killing people, Trump, Elon, all the agency heads Trump appointed, and anyone who gets in our way. Keep in mind, we are the majority, MAGA is a minority of the country, and by the time it is time to transition, they will be weakened, most of them will be broken by these policies, and they will crave revenge as well. American Revolution 2.0.”
Aside from the threats, investigators reported that Monper had been stockpiling guns and ammunition since Trump’s return to power, even promising to do a mass shooting.
Federal Charges on Monper
Monper is charged with four federal counts involving interfering, obstructing, or retaliating against federal officials and law enforcement agents. His threats also included Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The case against Monper did not explicitly mention an assassination attempt against Trump at a rally in Butler, where Monper lives, on July 13.
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the FBI and Butler Township Police Department for their swift action in apprehending Monper before any harm could be done, saying, “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 went on to reaffirm that the Department of Justice would continue to pursue vigorously whoever issues threats of assassination or mass violence, promising, “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.”