Another person has been apprehended for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump, as announced by FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday.
Authorities have charged Peter Stinson, a resident of Virginia and a former lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard, with purportedly making threats to kill Trump, according to court documents acquired by Fox News. Stinson served in the Coast Guard from 1988 until 2021.
During his tenure, Stinson was recognized as a sharpshooter and served as a FEMA instructor.
Some of the threats, which were unsealed in an affidavit on Friday, draw comparisons between Trump’s shooting and the executive-style murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione.
On social media, Stinson stated on May 9 that Trump needs to be “[L]uigied,” while other posts implied he could procure firearms, poison, or knives to execute a more effective plot against Trump.
At one point, Stinson responded to another user, indicating that he lacks the “necessary skills” to successfully evade capture after murdering Trump, as reported by the NY Post.
Prosecutors also presented social media posts that suggest Stinson was intrigued by the number 8647, the same figure previously posted by former FBI Director James Comey, which he later deleted.
Patel attributed Stinson’s violent inclinations to his predecessor, suggesting that Comey’s actions inspired Stinson to contemplate violent measures against the president.
“This is an individual who threatened President Trump’s life using the ’86 47’ terminology — the precise type of copycat behavior that law enforcement is now frequently encountering following former Director Comey’s damaging Instagram incident,” Patel remarked on X.
Prosecutors noted in the affidavit that Stinson’s reference to “8647” regarding President Trump is “likely in connection with an Instagram post made by former FBI Director James Comey.”
“The post by Comey was interpreted by the media as a violent threat against President Trump and led to an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Secret Service. STINSON has since made 13 additional posts on Bluesky, including the phrase, ‘8647’,” the document states.
On February 2, Stinson reportedly stated, “Certainly. This is a declaration of war. Lines will be drawn. Antifa ultimately prevails. Violence is fundamentally necessary.”
The disturbed Coast Guard veteran is not the sole individual to face arrest for issuing death threats against politicians following Comey’s announcement.
On Tuesday, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley revealed that Justin David Gaglio, aged 51, admitted guilt to making online threats directed at an unnamed elected official. He is said to have sent as many as 80 messages to the official’s inbox, threatening not only his life but also the lives of his wife and grandchild.
These prosecutions are merely the most recent examples in a series of politically-driven assassinations, attempts, or conspiracies against current elected officials, which have intensified since the targeted killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse on Saturday. On Monday, law enforcement apprehended Vance Luther Boelter, 57, concluding a three-day manhunt in the forests surrounding Green Isle after he allegedly shot and killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, while also critically injuring state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
