Police at West Balm Beach, Florida, announced on Saturday the arrest of a 46 -year -old man who allegedly threatened on social networks to kill President Donald Trump.
At a press conference on Saturday, police chief Tony Aujo said the police received a tip on January 19, the day before Trump was inaugurated, that the man, Shannon Atkins, presented threats against Trump on Facebook.
“They were a violent rhetoric, political opinions and their opinion addressed to the president,” Araujo said about threats.
Atkins was arrested near his home from West Palm Beach on Friday night, Araujo said. He added that the suspect was supposedly found with three cocaine bags in his pocket.
Atkins faces a position of written or electronic threats to kill, bodily injuries or performs a massive shooting or an act of terrorism, a severe second -degree crime, and charges of cocaine possession, according to a statement from the West Palm Beach Department Police Department .
The secret service has been notified of the case, said Araujo.
A secret service official said that the agency has been working with the West Palm Beach Police, and “given the details of the investigation and the threat, it was decided to take the case locally with the positions of the state of Florida.”
Atkins is being held at the main detention center of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, according to the Police.
While interviewed after the arrest, Araujo said that Atkins admitted to having wrote Facebook publications, but said he was just joking.
“Friends, this is not a joke. Nothing of that guy is a joke, ”said Araujo. “You really can’t say things like this. We have incidents after incident, an example after an example of when these threats become real, and we take them very seriously. “
Araujo urged residents to report advice similar to the police or FBI.
