Following the FBI’s investigation of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, federal authorities warn of an uptick in threats against law enforcement employees.
The threats were identified by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the days after the FBI’s authorized seizure of 11 sets of classified documents from the former president’s home, four of which were classified “top secret.”
The document said, “The FBI and DHS want to ensure that law enforcement, judiciary, and government staff are aware of the spectrum of threats and criminal and violent acts.”
Late Friday night, the internal intelligence brief was sent to state, local, tribal, and territory law enforcement officers throughout the country.
According to the advisory, “the FBI and DHS have noted a surge in violent threats made on social media against government employees and facilities, including a threat to plant a so-called “dirty bomb” in front of FBI headquarters and broad calls for “civil war” and “armed insurrection.”
This includes threats that “specifically define prospective targets, methods, or weapons,” according to the advisory.
The bulletin continued, “Since August 8, 2022, the FBI and DHS have identified multiple threats and calls for the targeted assassination of judicial, law enforcement, and government officials associated with the Palm Beach search, including the federal judge who authorized the Palm Beach search warrant.” The FBI and DHS have also seen the internet dissemination of personal identifying information of potential victims of violence, such as home addresses and identification of family members.
The evaluation observed that three days after the search, “Ricky Shiffer, Jr., equipped with an AR-style rifle and a nail gun, tried to forcefully enter the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office,” and it documented the confrontation with FBI and law enforcement agents that culminated in Shiffer’s death.
Shiffer appears to have posted on former President Donald Trump’s social media network Truth Social hours before the standoff that he intended to murder federal officials.
The message, which has since been deleted by the site’s censors, came soon after the FBI conducted a search of the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home on Monday.
“Kill them when they arrive for you,” the suspect wrote. “Be a citizen of the United States, not a steer.”
In the aftermath of the FBI’s investigation of the Mar-a-Lago property, violent extremist material has flooded far-right message boards and social media platforms. The messages reflect just a small portion of the violent extremist content. Trending phrases included “civil war” and “lock and load” on Telegram channels, Gab, Reddit, and TheDonald, a forum frequented by Trump fans.
“As a consequence of recent operations, we believe that law enforcement, judicial authorities, persons involved in conspiracy theories, and perceived ideological opponents who question their worldview might be future targets of DVE violence,” the joint report reads.
It warns that events could “escalate the threat environment” further, such as “potential future law enforcement or legal actions against individuals associated with the Palm Beach search, statements by public officials that incite violence, high-profile successful DVE attacks that inspire copycats, or the emergence of additional conspiracy theories.”
The bulletin also suggests that domestic violent extremists may view the November 2022 midterm elections as “an additional flashpoint around which to escalate threats against perceived ideological opponents, including federal law enforcement personnel,” based on the threats observed since the search.
ABC News was the first news organization to report on the intelligence briefing. The DHS refused to comment.
A representative for the FBI said in a statement that the agency is “always concerned about violence and threats of violence against law enforcement, including FBI agents.”
The statement added, “We work closely with our law enforcement partners to analyze and react to such despicable and deadly threats.” As usual, we would like to remind the public that any suspicious activity should be reported promptly to police authorities.
Jeff Pegues and Jake Rosen helped to the preparation of this report.