Butler County man held in Trump assassination threat case
PITTSBURGH — A Butler County man will be held in detention as his trial moves forward after being arrested by the FBI and accused of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump and other figures.
Shawn Monper, 32, had his preliminary and detention hearing in U.S. District Court on Monday, April 14, in front of Judge Maureen Kelly.
Monper was arrested by the FBI on April 9 in Butler Township. He faces federal charges in relation to YouTube posts that the government claims threatened the assassination of Trump, as well as Elon Musk and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The posts occurred between Jan. 15 and April 5.
Assistant U.S. attorney Brendan McKenna requested Monper’s detention to ensure the safety of the community.
FBI agent Ryan Chrobak testified the FBI’s national threats operation center received information regarding threats posted by a YouTube user called “Mr. Satan.” The investigation that followed linked the IP address to Monper’s home.
At the time of the arrest, FBI agents seized three handguns held by Monper.
While he legally had a permit for the firearms, the prosecution argued there was a pattern of Monper making threats around the time Trump was inaugurated, which matched the approximate time in which he bought the firearms. They argued that pattern meant he reached the standard of true threats and should be detained.
Monper’s attorney, public defender Katherine Dyer, argued the government’s evidence did not meet probable cause. She also argued that Monper was not a flight risk.
