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Florida man arrested for allegedly making violent social media threats against Trump
Fox News’ Danamarie McNicholl reports on the developments on ‘Fox Report.’
The Secret Service is investigating after a Florida man was arrested in West Palm Beach and charged with calling for the assassination of President Donald Trump on Facebook.
Shannon Depararro Atkins, 46, of West Palm Beach, was arrested after allegedly threatening the life of the president, West Palm Beach Interim Police Chief Tony Araujo confirmed during a press conference Saturday.
Atkins is charged with felony intimidation, drug possession and smuggling contraband in a county detention center, according to jail records.
Shannon Depararro Atkins, 46, was arrested after allegedly threatening the life of President Donald Trump. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
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A tip was called in to the FBI National Threat Operations Center late Sunday, reporting Atkins was making violent threats against the president on Facebook.
A Palm Beach detective began working the case Monday and found “disturbing” posts, according to Araujo.
Some of the posts included, “Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, Martin Luther King and Trump – unfortunately, one is still alive”; “Bullets, please. Jesus, save America”; 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.'”
The department secured a probable cause warrant and began surveillance, arresting Atkins near one of his homes at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Officers found three bags of cocaine in Atkins’ pocket at the time of the arrest, according to Araujo.
While being interviewed, he admitted to writing the Facebook posts but said he was joking, authorities said.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, is rushed offstage after being shot during a rally July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Folks, this is not a joke. Nothing of that sort is a joke,” Araujo said during the press conference.
The threats came after two assassination attempts on Trump in July and September.
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The Secret Service was notified and is reviewing the case to determine whether there will be federal charges, the department said.
“The U.S. Secret Service does not comment on matters involving protective intelligence,” the agency wrote in an email to Fox News Digital Saturday. “What we can say is that the Secret Service investigates all threats against our protectees.”
President Donald Trump speaks about the economy during an event at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Authorities confirmed the FBI was also involved in the investigation.
Araujo said, in today’s climate, people cannot make threats, even jokingly.
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“We have incident after incident, example after example, of when these threats become real, and we take these very seriously,” he 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.”
Atkins’ bond was set at $5,000 for the drug charges, but bond was denied for the threats against Trump, according to jail records.
Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.