The U.S. Secret Service has arrested a man for allegedly making multiple comments threatening to kill former President Donald Trump, according to prosecutors Monday.
Thomas Welnicki, a 72-year-old man from Rockaway Beach, New York, called the Secret Service and left voicemails in which he expressed his intent to murder “Individual-1”.
A Brooklyn federal criminal complaint specifies that “Individual-1” is a person who was “President of the United States from January 20, 2017 until January 20, 2021”.
The complaint says that on July 21, 2020, Welnicki initially told the US Capitol Police that “‘if [Individual-1] loses the 2020 election and refused to step down, ‘Welnicki would ‘acquire weapons’ and ‘take him down'”.
On a Jan. 4, 2021, voicemail, Welnicki reportedly said “I am going to do anything I can to take out [Individual-1]. Oh yeah that’s a threat, come and arrest me”.
“I will do anything I can to take out [Individual-1] and his 12 monkeys…If I had the opportunity to do it in Manhattan that would be awesome…Tomorrow [Individual-1] will be in Georgia, maybe I will,” Welnicki continued.
The “12 monkeys” refers to 12 members of Congress who helped Trump, according to the complaint.
On Sept. 24, Welnicki allegedly called the Secret Service and asked about the agency’s protection of Trump and his kids and what weapons they use. The complaint says he also asked how he could arrange a protest at Trump’s house on Pearl Harbor Day.
Again on Nov. 8, Welnicki reportedly called them to say Trump is “Hitler” and “I will do everything I can to make sure [Individual-1] is dead”. “There is a contract out to kill [Individual-1]”.
At the beginning of December, Welnicki called to say he had a .22-caliber weapon and that “the new civil war could break out and taking up arms against the government is justified when ballots don’t matter”.
On Monday, Magistrate Judge Vera Scanlon ordered Welnicki to be released on a $50,000 bond and conditions of GPS monitoring and home curfew.
Welnicki must attend mental health and alcohol treatment. He is prohibited from any contact with Trump and his family and is not allowed to go to any of his properties.