A former U.S. Coast Guard officer has been arrested for allegedly planning to assassinate former President Donald Trump, with investigators pointing to social media posts and potential influence from a cryptic message previously shared by ex-FBI Director James Comey.
Kash Patel, now serving as FBI Director, confirmed on Tuesday that 62-year-old Peter Stinson of Virginia was taken into custody on charges related to threatening Trump’s life. Court documents obtained by Fox News show that Stinson, who served in the Coast Guard from 1988 to 2021, was a recognized sharpshooter and had experience as a FEMA instructor.
An affidavit released on Friday reveals that Stinson made alarming online statements, including comparing a potential attack on Trump to the high-profile killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In one May 9 social media post, he referred to Trump needing to be “[L]uigied,” a nod to that incident. Other posts hinted at methods ranging from firearms to poison and knives.
Stinson also acknowledged his lack of skills to evade authorities after carrying out such an act, telling another user he wouldn’t likely escape capture following Trump’s assassination.
Federal prosecutors highlighted Stinson’s fixation on the number “8647,” a sequence previously posted — and later deleted — by Comey on Instagram. Patel linked the number directly to rising threats against Trump, calling it a clear example of copycat behavior stemming from Comey’s post.
“This individual made direct threats on Trump’s life using the exact ‘8647’ language — it’s the kind of copycat rhetoric we’re seeing more of since former Director Comey’s reckless Instagram post,” Patel stated on X.
According to the affidavit, law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service, had launched investigations into Comey’s post after media outlets speculated it could be interpreted as a veiled threat.
Since then, Stinson has made 13 more posts on Bluesky containing the “8647” phrase.
On February 2, he escalated his rhetoric, declaring: “Certainly. This is a declaration of war. Lines will be drawn. Antifa ultimately prevails. Violence is fundamentally necessary.”
Stinson is not the only person arrested in connection to political threats in recent days. On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley of Massachusetts announced that 51-year-old Justin David Gaglio pleaded guilty to sending around 80 threatening messages to an unnamed public official — some of which also targeted the official’s family.
These incidents come in the wake of heightened political violence across the country. Over the weekend, state Rep. Melissa Hortman of Minnesota and her husband, Mark, were killed in what police describe as a targeted attack. Authorities captured the suspect, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, after a three-day manhunt in the forests near Green Isle. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also critically injured in the attack.
The spate of politically motivated threats and acts of violence has prompted renewed concern among federal officials over escalating dangers faced by elected leaders nationwide.
