FBI arrests Texas man after posting death threat against Trump

The Department of Justice (DOJ) reported Friday that a 52-year-old Texas man named Robert Herrera was arrested Thursday by the FBI lafter allegedly making violent threats against President Donald Trump via his Facebook account, just hours before the Republican leader's visit to the city of Kerrville. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, Herrera, who resided in San Antonio, was formally charged not only with making threats against Trump, but also with interstate threatening communications.

The threats against the conservative leader would have been posted on the Facebook page of a San Antonio media outlet discussing Trump's upcoming visit to the Hill Country region, following the tragic floods that occurred last July 4. So far, neither the DOJ nor the Western District of Texas has publicly identified the media outletin question.

Details about the incident

According to the DOJ statement, Herrera would have written the phrase "I won't miss" underneath a photo of the president surrounded by several Secret Service agents. When another user replied, "You won't get the chance,I promise," Herrera replied, "I'll just come for you," accompanying this message with a photo of him holding a rifle and several rounds of ammunition. The postings were eventually deleted, and FBI agents arrested a few hours later Herrera, who would face up to five years in prison on each charge.

"While the FBI fully supports and defends every American’s right to free speech, it is important to understand that threatening violence against any individual is not constitutionally protected speech, it is a federal crime. The FBI and our partners take threats of violence seriously, and we urge the public to do the same. We would like to thank the United States Secret Service, the San Antonio Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the United States Attorney's Office for their tremendous partnership in addressing this threat against the president. We urge all members of the public to express their views peacefully and respectfully in a manner consistent with the values that define our nation," stated Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's San Antonio office, Aaron Tapp.