Arizona man arrested after allegedly threatening to kill Trump in videos posted to Facebook
An Arizona man was arrested after he allegedly threatened to kill President-elect Donald Trump in videos he posted to Facebook, according to court documents.
Manuel Tamayo-Torres was arrested on Monday on one count of making threats against the president and successors to the presidency, and four counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, according to court documents.
Trump is not directly identified in the documents and is referred to as “Individual 1." But, according to the criminal complaint, Tomayo-Torres "did knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of, to kidnap, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President-elect." ABC News, citing officials close to the investigation, reported that the threats were made against Trump.
"Tamayo-Torres made vague yet direct threats to harm Individual 1, Individual 1's family members, and law enforcement agents," according to the court document that was filed on Tuesday and obtained by USA TODAY.
In multiple videos, the defendant accused the president-elect, his family and other law enforcement officers of kidnapping and harming his children. It was not clear if Tamayo-Torres has children or if the claims had any supporting evidence.
The defendant is also accused of lying while he was applying to purchase a firearm and falsely stating he had never been convicted of a felony.
USA TODAY reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice and to the attorney representing Tamayo-Torres.
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What happened?
On Nov. 21, Tomayo-Torres allegedly posted a video to his Facebook account accusing "Individual 1" of kidnapping his children, according to the court documents.
"[Individual I] you're gonna die, [Individual I], your son's gonna die," Tomayo-Torres reportedly said in the video. "Your whole family is going to die, [Individual 1]. This is reality now for you."
"And if they give me a chance, I'm going to (expletive) bury you myself, [Individual 1]," the man continued in the same video.
The video that was posted last week was not the first threatening video the defendant created, according to the criminal complaint. In a video posted on Nov. 13, Tomayo-Torres holds up "what appears to be a white AR15-style rifle with a 30-round magazine inserted into it" and threatens to shoot "Individual 1" with it.
Tomayo-Torres' previous felonies
On Nov. 13 and 15, the defendant attempted to purchase a firearm from Shooters World, a firearm education facility, indoor gun and shooting range and firearm retailer in Phoenix, according to the criminal complaint.
His first attempt to to make a purchase, which received a "delayed" status, was made on the same day he posted a threatening video. He was denied after his second attempt.
During both visits, Tomayo-Torres "knowingly made a false statement" on a Firearm Transaction Report, and said that he:
Had not been convicted of a felony.
Was "not subject to a court order restraining him from harassing, stalking, or threating an intimate partner."
Both statement are untrue, according to the criminal complaint filed.
In 2003, Tomayo-Torres was convicted of felonious assault in San Diego and sentenced to six years in prison.
In July 2023, the defendant's ex-wife served him with an order of protection that was to remain in effect for two years, according to court documents. The order prohibited him from having any contact with her unless it was through attorneys, legal process or a court hearing. The criminal complaint filed on Tuesday does not mention if the order also applied to any children the couple may have had together. The defendant attempted to contest it, but the court ordered it remain in effect in December 2023.
Trump assassination attempts
Multiple people have been accused of trying to end Trump's life in 2024 while he was running for president.
In July, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle on a rooftop about 400 feet outside a rally Butler, Pennsylvania. Corey Comperatore, a firefighter from Sarver, Pennsylvania was killed during the shooting and two other men were injured, according to USA TODAY's previous reporting.
In September, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged in an assassination attempt on the then-presidential candidate at his golf course, Trump International Golf Club, in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to a press release published by the U.S. Department of Justice.
This story was updated with new information.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona man arrested, allegedly threatened to kill Trump in videos