New York man arrested after publicly threatening former President Donald Trump he will kidnap and kill him, report

New York, New York – A 72-year-old man who warned US authorities that he planned to assassinate Donald Trump before or after the November 2020 presidential election has been arrested in New York, prosecutors said.

“Thomas Velnicki knowingly and intentionally threatened the former US president with murder, kidnapping and bodily harm,” the prosecution said.

Velnicki, who was arrested by members of the Secret Service, the agency responsible for protecting US presidents and vice presidents, should be questioned further.

The detainee reported to the New York Secret Service office at least three times from September 24 to December 2, 2021. He said he intended to assassinate Trump and sought information to protect the former US president, adding that he possessed weapons for that purpose.

“I will do everything I can to make sure he is dead,” Velnicki said in a telephone interview comparing Trump to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.