Pennsylvania Man Indicted for Alleged Threats to Assassinate President Trump and U.S. Officials

By Ahora Qadi

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – U.S. federal prosecutors have brought serious charges against Shawn Monper, a 32-year-old man from Butler, Pennsylvania, accusing him of making threats to assault and assassinate U.S. President Donald J. Trump, several U.S. government officials, and agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The criminal complaint, unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice, reveals that Monper—under the online alias “Mr Satan”—posted a series of threatening messages between January 15 and Apr. 5, 2025, including direct calls for political assassination and acts of domestic terrorism.

“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,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. 

She added that the Department of Justice remains unwavering in its pursuit of anyone plotting violence against public figures or institutions, pledging to seek the maximum penalty under the law.

Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania joined Bondi in announcing the charges, which stem from an emergency disclosure received by the FBI’s National Threat Operations Section (NTOS) on April 8. According to federal investigators, Monper had posted several comments on YouTube indicating a clear intent to execute acts of political violence.

Among the most egregious comments documented in the complaint:

• On February 17, Monper wrote: “Nah, we just need to start killing people, Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed… American Revolution 2.0.”
• On March 4, during a live stream of Trump’s congressional address, he posted: “I’m going to assassinate him myself.”
• On March 18, Monper referred to ICE agents as “terrorists” and advocated for their killing.
• On April 1, he threatened: “If I see an armed ICE agent, I will consider it a domestic terrorist, and an active shooter and open fire on them.”

The investigation also uncovered Monper’s extensive firearms activity. Shortly after Trump’s return to office, he reportedly acquired multiple guns and stockpiled ammunition. In comments posted in February and March, Monper admitted to purchasing “one gun a month” and buying body armor in anticipation of what he described as “mass shooting” plans.

Monper was arrested on April 9 following a coordinated operation between the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department. He appeared in federal court on April 10 and was ordered detained pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for April 14 at 1:00 p.m.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. McKenna has been assigned to prosecute the case, while the FBI and local authorities continue their investigation.

Officials emphasized that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.