Federal authorities have charged a Pennsylvania man with making violent threats against President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and several U.S. government officials, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
According to the criminal complaint, 32-year-old Shawn Monper of Butler, Pennsylvania, is accused of posting a series of online threats targeting Trump, Musk—described in the complaint as a senior advisor to Trump—various federal officials, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi commended the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department for swiftly identifying and apprehending Monper.
“When threats of violence or assassination arise, the Department of Justice will respond decisively. We will track down, arrest, and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said in a statement.
The DOJ said the FBI’s National Threat Operations Section (NTOS) received an emergency tip on April 8 regarding hostile comments posted to YouTube by a user under the name “Mr Satan.” Investigators later linked the account to Monper and traced his location through his online activity.
The complaint alleges Monper issued the threats between January 15 and April 5. Federal agents also learned he had obtained a firearms permit shortly after Trump’s inauguration and had publicly stated in February that he had “bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office.”
In several posts cited in the complaint, Monper wrote:
“We just need to start killing people—Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way.”
“We are the majority. MAGA is a minority of the country.”
“I will assassinate him myself,” he reportedly said in a video referencing Trump’s address to Congress on March 4.
On March 18, he posted: “ICE are terrorist people, we need to start killing them,” and later wrote, “If I see an armed ICE agent, I will consider it a domestic terrorist, and an active shooter, and open fire.”
Monper is scheduled to appear in court for preliminary and detention hearings on April 14. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. McKenna.
