San Diego, CA — A 45-year-old Arizona man, Manuel Tamayo-Torres, has been arrested on charges of making death threats against President-elect Donald Trump and members of his family. Authorities detained Tamayo-Torres on November 25, 2024, in San Diego after he allegedly posted several violent threats online while displaying weapons.
Court documents reveal that over recent months, Tamayo-Torres uploaded multiple videos to Facebook in which he accused Trump of heinously kidnapping and trafficking his children, though it is not verified whether he has any children. In one particularly disturbing video dated November 21, Tamayo-Torres directly threatened Trump, stating menacingly that the President-elect and his family would be killed.
In another troubling incident on August 23, during a Trump rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Tamayo-Torres recorded himself claiming to have seen Trump and Secret Service agents abducting his daughter to sell her into prostitution.
Further complicating his legal troubles, Tamayo-Torres faces charges for falsifying information during firearm purchases. Last year, he reportedly lied about his criminal history while attempting to purchase a pistol in Phoenix, denying any previous felony convictions despite a past assault conviction in San Diego dated back to 2003.
Tamayo-Torres is expected to be extradited to Arizona to face these charges. His arrest underscores a broader pattern of heightened security concerns surrounding Trump, who has been the focus of numerous threats and two assassination attempts in the past year.
The recent surge in aggressive actions against Trump extends beyond personal threats. Several of Trump’s high-profile Cabinet nominees and political allies have also been targeted. Notable figures such as New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and initial Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz, along with others, have been subjected to bomb threats and “swatting” attacks—a form of harassment where false alarms are called in to trigger a heavy police response.
These incidents mark a troubling escalation in risks to public figures. President-elect Trump himself narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in July when a gunman opened fire during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A shooter armed with an AR-15-style rifle was positioned 400 feet away from Trump, firing multiple shots, one of which grazed Trump’s right ear. A supporter in the audience was tragically struck and killed before a Secret Service sniper neutralized the assailant.
In another incident in September, security forces thwarted an attack near Trump’s Florida golf course by apprehending an individual armed with an AK-47 who had been laying in wait for nearly 12 hours.
The FBI continues to investigate these incidents, emphasizing the critical need for robust security measures to protect elected officials and ensure the safety and integrity of the democratic process. As investigators work to unwrap the layers of this latest threat, the broader implications for national security and the safeguarding of public figures remain a top priority.