Butler man arrested in Butler Township accused of threatening to kill Trump, ICE agents
A man arrested Wednesday, April 9, in Butler Township is accused of making online threats against President Donald Trump, as well as agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.
Shawn Monper, 32, of Butler, made threats of violence and assassination against prominent U.S. officials, including Trump and Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk, through comments made on his YouTube account since mid-February, according to the affidavit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Monper was arrested near the 600 block of Morton Avenue on Wednesday, in an operation led by an FBI SWAT team. Butler Township police assisted at the scene.
“I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Rest assured that whenever and wherever threats of assassination or mass violence occur, this Department of Justice will find, arrest, and prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law and seek the maximum appropriate punishment.”
Monper was charged with four counts of violating Title 18 of the United States Code by making threats against U.S. officials or federal law enforcement officers, with ICE agents considered part of the latter group.
Monper’s hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, April 14, in the Pittsburgh courtroom in federal court in front of Judge Christopher B. Brown.
A news release from Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti on Friday, indicates Monper’s threatening statements came between Jan. 15 and April 5 through a YouTube user named “Mr Satan.”
The affidavit specifically pointed out four comments made by Monper between Feb. 17 and April 4, including one that called for an “American Revolution 2.0” and another that referred to ICE as a “terrorist group.”
In the first comment, posted on Feb. 17, Monper says “We need to start killing people, Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way.”
According to the affidavit, Monper then posted, “im (sic) gonna assassinate him myself” in response to a March 4 video titled “Live: Trump’s address to Congress.”
On March 18, he said “We need to start killing” those with ICE, and on April 1, he again commented about ICE, according to the affidavit
“If I see an armed ice agent, I will consider it a domestic terrorist, and an active shooter and open fire on them,” Monper said, according to the affidavit.
The news release notes other comments, including one in March 2025, where Monper is accused of commenting using his account, “Eventually im (sic) going to do a mass shooting.”
The affidavit also states that Monper was issued a firearms permit in late January, just days after Trump’s second term in office officially began, and he remarked through a YouTube comment that he had recently been stockpiling ammunition.
According to the affidavit, the FBI were able to zero in on Monper’s identity with assistance from Google (the parent company of YouTube), which provided information regarding the account responsible for the threatening comments.
Eagle assignment editor Tracy Leturgey contributed to this report.
