A 46-year-old Florida man was taken into custody Friday night time with a bunch of cocaine after allegedly posting alarming threats focusing on former President Donald Trump on social media platforms.
The arrest unfolded throughout an unusual site visitors cease in West Palm Seaside — a neighborhood synonymous with sunshine and seaside calm however now on the middle of a tense federal investigation.
Authorities stated Shannon Depararro Atkins’ on-line tirades, which included references to assassinations of previous U.S. leaders, despatched shockwaves via regulation enforcement channels after being flagged to the FBI’s Nationwide Risk Operations Heart.
Certainly one of his extra disturbing Fb posts reportedly learn, “Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, Martin Luther King and Trump — sadly, one remains to be alive.”
One other amplified violent rhetoric, calling for “Bullets, please. Please Jesus! Save America.” Detectives linked Atkins to the threats on January 20 and swiftly launched surveillance.
Their efforts culminated in a site visitors cease Friday at about 7:30 p.m., the place Atkins was driving a white 2013 BMW close to his residence.
In the course of the cease, officers reportedly discovered medicine in his possession — three baggage of cocaine — which resulted in a further cost for drug possession.
Atkins was arrested on a second-degree felony depend of written or digital threats to kill, hurt, or conduct an act of terrorism.
Investigators emphasised that the violent rhetoric couldn’t be dismissed as mere jokes, given two earlier assassination makes an attempt on Trump in 2024.
Atkins, who admitted to creating the posts however claimed they had been made in jest, now faces rigorous scrutiny, with the U.S. Secret Service investigating whether or not he’ll face federal fees.
His Fb exercise additionally revealed a predisposition to political commentary, with references aligning him with Democratic leanings. Notably, Atkins had shared a photograph of himself carrying a “Harris-Walz 2024” T-shirt in a submit final yr.
The arrest, which unfolded simply miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, has sparked a polarizing debate on social media.
Whereas some customers counseled regulation enforcement for taking decisive motion, others argued that Atkins’ feedback, nonetheless distasteful, didn’t rise to the extent of actionable threats.
“The place was the menace? He by no means said “I” or an “I’ll” I’m sorry however weak case sadly,” one consumer famous, whereas one other fumed”That fool must be on fixed watch trigger he’s loopy and little doubt a democrat!!!”
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