Florida man arrested after alleged online Trump assassination threats; SECRET

The Secret Service is investigating after a Florida man was arrested in West Palm Beach and accused of calling for the assassination of President Donald Trump on Facebook.

Shannon DePararro Atkins, 46, of West Palm Beach, was arrested after allegedly threatening the president's life, Interim West Palm Beach Police Chief Tony Araujo confirmed Saturday.

Atkins is charged with felony intimidation, drug possession and smuggling contraband into 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 to the FBI National Threat Operations Center Sunday evening reporting that Atkins was making violent threats against the president on Facebook.

A Palm Beach detective began working the case Monday and found posts “troubling,” according to Araujo.

Some of the messages included: “Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, Martin Luther King and Trump – unfortunately one is still alive”; “Bullets, please. Jesus, except America”; and “I got banned from X because I said “I hope and pray someone kills it.” We haven't had an assassination in years. “”

The department obtained 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.

During his interview, he admitted to writing the Facebook posts but said he was joking, authorities said.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, is rushed after being shot during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Folks, this is not a joke. Nothing like this is a joke,” Araujo said at the press conference.

The threats came after two assassination attempts on Trump in July and September.

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The Secret Service has been notified and is reviewing the case to determine whether there will be federal charges, the department said.

“The United States Secret Service does not comment on matters involving protective intelligence,” the agency wrote in an email to Fox News Digital on Saturday. “What we can say is that the Secret Service investigates all threats against our protectors.”

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 that the FBI was also involved in the investigation.

Araujo said that in today's climate, people cannot threaten, even in jest.

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“We have incident after incident, example after example, of these threats becoming real, and we take them very seriously,” he said. “Did we misappropriate something? You never know. I know we developed probable cause, we arrested Mr. Atkins and he's going to have to answer to the charges.”

Atkins' bail was set at $5,000 for the drug charges, but bail was denied for the threats against Trump, according to jail records.

Alexandra Koch is a news editor for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox News, Alexandra covered news, crime, religion and the military in the Southeast.

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