US police arrest man for allegedly threatening to assassinate Donald Trump on Facebook PHOTO

West Palm Beach police, in collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI, arrested a Florida man after he allegedly posted threats on Facebook calling for the assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Shannon Depararro Atkins, 46, was taken into custody on January 24 evening near one of his homes in West Palm Beach. He faces multiple charges, including felony intimidation, drug possession, and smuggling contraband into a county detention center, according to police records, Caliber.Az reports via US media.

Shannon Depararro Atkins, 46, was arrested after allegedly threatening the life of President Donald Trump. 

The investigation began after the FBI National Threat Operations Center received a tip last on January 19 reporting Atkins' threatening Facebook posts. Among the posts were messages referencing previous assassinations, including, "Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, Martin Luther King, and Trump—unfortunately, one is still alive," and "I've been banned from X because I said 'I hope and pray someone kills him. We haven't had an assassination in years.'"

West Palm Beach Interim Police Chief Tony Araujo described the posts as "disturbing" during a press conference. Officers obtained a probable cause warrant and placed Atkins under surveillance before arresting him on January 24 evening. At the time of the arrest, police discovered three bags of cocaine in his pocket.

During an interview with authorities, Atkins admitted to writing the posts but claimed he was joking. Chief Araujo emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, "Folks, this is not a joke. Nothing of that sort is a joke. We take these threats very seriously."

The arrest follows two recent assassination attempts targeting Trump in July and September. The U.S. Secret Service is now reviewing the case to determine whether federal charges will be filed. While the agency declined to comment on the specifics, it confirmed that all threats against its protectees are thoroughly investigated.

Atkins remains in custody, with bond set at $5,000 for the drug charges. However, bond has been denied for the felony intimidation charge related to the threats against Trump.

"We have incident after incident, example after example, of when these threats become real," Araujo said. "Did we avert something? You never know. I do know that we developed probable cause, we arrested Mr. Atkins, and he's going to have to answer the charges."

The investigation is ongoing, with both the Secret Service and FBI actively involved.

By Khagan Isayev