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‘I am going to assassinate Trump’: Butler man arrested for threatening to murder POTUS
Shawn Monper made violent threats against Donald Trump, Musk, and ICE agents. The comments were posted on YouTube by a user operating under the name "Mr Satan."
Shawn Monper, a resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been arrested and federally charged with making violent threats against President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, several U.S. government officials, and agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to a federal criminal complaint, on April 8, the FBI's National Threat Operations Section (NTOS) received a report about a series of threatening comments posted on YouTube by a user operating under the name “Mr Satan.”
Investigation revealed that the threats were made between January 15 and April 5, 2025. The online activity was linked to Monper’s residence.
Investigators also found that Monper obtained a firearms permit shortly after Trump’s inauguration and had expressed intentions to build an arsenal.
In a February 2025 YouTube comment, he wrote: “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office.”
In another post, Monper wrote: “Nah, we just need to start killing people — Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way… American Revolution 2.0.”
On March 4, 2025, in the comments section of a livestream titled ‘Live: Trump’s address to Congress,’ Monper wrote: “I’m going to assassinate him myself.”
On April 9, the FBI, with assistance from the Butler Township Police Department, arrested Monper on a federal criminal complaint. He appeared before a magistrate the next day and was ordered to remain in custody.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi praised the swift action of law enforcement:
“I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” AG Bondi said in a statement. “Rest assured that whenever and wherever threats of assassination or mass violence occur, this Department of Justice will find, arrest, and prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law and seek the maximum appropriate punishment.”
Monper's preliminary and detention hearings are scheduled for April 14 at 1:00 p.m.
