Trump Threat: Kansas Man Charged Over Wichita Rally
The Trump threat case escalated this week after a 24-year-old Kansas man was arrested on federal charges over a string of online comments calling for President Donald Trump to be shot ahead of his Monday rally in Wichita. Federal prosecutors say the posts also claimed he had scouted nearby rooftops where the president was due to speak.
Facebook Comments Set Off the Alarm
According to a federal criminal complaint, Jaden John Read of Clearwater, Kansas, posted the threats on Facebook on Oct. 15 in response to news coverage of Trump’s upcoming Kansas visit. One comment under a local news report read, “Lets shoot Trump honestly. Where’s our shooter?” A second post claimed he had recently obtained ammunition. In a separate comment under a KWCH 12 News article about the visit, Read wrote that he knew where the president’s speech would be held and had “already mapped out roofs around,” adding a reference to the 2025 murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Wichita Police Department contacted the Secret Service after receiving a tip through Crime Stoppers about the posts, and an affidavit was signed by a Secret Service officer.
Charged With Threatening the President
Read was arrested in Clearwater on Oct. 17 and is being held in federal custody while awaiting a detention hearing. He has been charged with knowingly and willfully threatening to take the life of or inflict bodily harm on the president — a federal offense that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Rally Came Days After the Arrest
The comments surfaced just days before Trump’s Monday evening rally in Wichita, where the president campaigned for Sen. Roger Marshall. Marshall is locked in a competitive reelection fight against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton in a race that could help decide control of the Senate.
Source: KWCH