A 24-year-old Kansas man was arrested after authorities said he made online threats to shoot President Donald Trump ahead of the president’s planned visit to the Wichita area.
Jaden J. Read, of Clearwater, was taken into federal custody on Saturday after investigators received a Crime Stoppers tip about threatening comments he posted on Facebook, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
The tip came in Thursday and led authorities to comments Read made in response to a KAKE News article about Trump’s upcoming visit to Kansas.
In one comment, Read wrote, “Let’s shoot Trump honestly, where’s our shooter?” He then posted another comment stating he had acquired ammunition and intended to kill the president, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators also found comments Read posted under a separate KWCH 12 News article about Trump’s visit. Read wrote, “Can we shoot him in Kansas please I will myself,” according to prosecutors.
In another comment posted about a minute later, Read claimed he knew where Trump would deliver his speech and had already mapped out nearby rooftops.
Authorities arrested Read at his home in Clearwater on Saturday. He will remain in federal custody until his detention hearing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging Read with making threats against the president on Saturday. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Highway Patrol and Wichita Police Department.
“Political violence and threats of political violence will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said in a statement.
Read also shared a political meme on his Facebook page on Aug. 31 criticizing the cost of living and the quality of food in the United States.
The post featured President Trump and Vice President JD Vance alongside text complaining about the cost of groceries, rent and health care, with a caption mocking the administration’s response as changing the names of things rather than addressing the problems.
Trump is scheduled to attend a rally Monday evening, Oct. 19, at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kansas, in support of Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who is facing Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton in the November election.