A 24-year-old Kansas man is facing a federal charge after investigators used Facebook account records to help establish the identity of a user accused of threatening Donald Trump, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
The investigation began after a Crime Stoppers tip alerted police to posts discussing the US president's planned visit to Wichita on 19 October 2026. Authorities allege that the comments included statements about shooting Trump, possessing ammunition and identifying rooftops near the location of his planned appearance.
The US Secret Service subsequently obtained account records from Facebook as part of its investigation into the threats. The case highlights how information held by social media companies can become part of a criminal investigation when authorities seek to identify the person behind potentially threatening online activity.
However, the allegations remain unproven, and the criminal complaint does not establish that an assassination attempt was carried out or that the defendant had put an operational plan into action.
How Meta's Facebook Records Helped Investigators Identify the Suspect
The defendant, Jaden John Read of Clearwater, Kansas, was charged under federal law with making threats against the president. A criminal complaint filed on 17 October in the US District Court for the District of Kansas alleges that he knowingly and wilfully threatened to take the president's life or cause him bodily harm.
According to the affidavit signed by a Secret Service special agent, Wichita police contacted the agency on 15 October after receiving information about threatening comments posted beneath a KAKE News article concerning Trump's upcoming visit.
The complaint quotes one comment as saying, 'Lets shoot Trump honestly. Where's our shooter? I'm tired of living this money life'. A second comment allegedly referred to a firearm and ammunition before threatening to kill the president.
Investigators later identified two further comments beneath a separate KWCH 12 News article. One allegedly stated, 'Can we shoot him in Kansas please I will myself'. Another claimed the author knew where Trump would speak and had already mapped out nearby rooftops.
The Secret Service affidavit says Facebook supplied the results of an Emergency Disclosure Request on 16 October. Investigators had already identified a Facebook profile matching the name and profile picture associated with the comments. They used the account records alongside other information to connect the account with Read.
The records reportedly included the account holder's registered name, date of birth, telephone number and email address. Investigators cross-checked those details against law enforcement and state records.
The records also showed that the account had been accessed on 15 October using an IP address that Secret Service investigators geolocated to Clearwater, Kansas.
A magistrate judge found probable cause to support the issuance of an arrest warrant after reviewing the complaint and supporting affidavit.
What the Federal Charge Means and What Happens Next
The charge falls under Section 871(a) of Title 18 of the United States Code, which covers threats against the president and certain other protected officials. The law concerns threats to take a president's life or inflict bodily harm, rather than political criticism alone.
The First Amendment protects a wide range of political expression in the United States, but it does not automatically protect statements that qualify as criminal threats. Whether a statement meets that legal threshold depends on the applicable law and the evidence, rather than simply whether the speech is offensive or hostile towards a political figure.
In a statement published on 19 October, US Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said: 'The first Amendment allows for robust disagreement but there are constraints. I caution people to stay within the bounds of constitutionally protected speech.'
The investigation involved the Secret Service, the US Marshals Service, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Wichita Police Department, according to the Justice Department.
The complaint lists a maximum prison term of five years for the charged offence, alongside a possible fine and supervised release. These are statutory maximums, not a prediction of the outcome or the sentence Read would receive if convicted.
The publicly available complaint does not state whether investigators recovered a firearm or established that the rooftop references corresponded to an operational attack plan. It therefore does not, by itself, establish that an attack was imminent or that the alleged plan was put into action.
Read is accused of making the comments and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The case will turn on the evidence and the legal requirements for establishing that the alleged statements amount to a criminal threat.
