Three students from the University of South Alabama were taken into custody on Friday for allegedly making threats against President Donald Trump, who was set to hold a rally on the campus that evening, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The charges stem from social media posts made in the days leading up to Trump’s visit, as reported by Lagniappe Daily. The federal cases were made public just hours before Trump was expected to appear at the university’s Mitchell Center.
While monitoring social media ahead of Trump’s arrival, federal investigators uncovered these posts. They used emergency disclosure requests along with information from the university police to link the posts to the students, based on FBI affidavits cited by Lagniappe.
One student allegedly made a threatening comment about Trump in response to a TikTok about the president’s upcoming visit. Another student posted on X, indicating that people would “remember the University of South Alabama the same way they remember Utah Valley University,” referring to a tragic incident involving conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot there last year.
Furthermore, a third student reportedly commented on a TikTok post regarding Trump’s event. Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch mentioned earlier in the week that his office was working with federal authorities to monitor social media activity related to the president’s scheduled appearance.
The University of South Alabama clarified before the rally that the event was organized by the Republican National Committee and not sponsored by the university. In a statement, the university condemned any threats made against elected officials or anyone else, emphasizing the importance of open dialogue while recognizing the boundary between free expression and intimidation.
Trump went ahead with the rally as planned, marking his return to Mobile approximately eleven years after his 2015 event there, which he recalled during his speech, saying, “It sort of all began here.” He also acknowledged Sheriff Burch and the university’s president, Jo Bonner, from the stage.
Fox News Digital has reached out to various agencies, including the Department of Justice and the FBI, for further details.
