A 50-year-old woman from Lafayette, Indiana, Nathalie Rose Jones, has been arrested in Washington, D.C., on allegations that she plotted to kidnap and assassinate former President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, in a statement released August 18, said Jones was taken into custody on August 16 after travelling to the capital. Investigators say she made a series of graphic threats on Facebook and Instagram, including one in which she wrote that she was willing to “sacrificially kill” Trump.
The posts also referred to an “arrest and removal ceremony” for the former president and named other political figures.
According to court documents, the U.S. Secret Service began investigating Jones after identifying her as the author of the threats. During an interview on August 15, she allegedly admitted she would attempt to kill Trump “if given the opportunity,” citing anger over lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. She later recanted, saying she no longer intended to act on the threats.
Jones faces two federal charges: threatening the life of the president, and transmitting interstate communications containing threats to kidnap or injure another person. Each offence carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the case underscores the seriousness of such threats. “Threatening the life of the President is one of the most serious crimes and one that will be met with swift and unwavering prosecution,” she stated.
Authorities also noted that Jones has a history of mental illness, which she acknowledged in her social media posts. As of Tuesday, no attorney of record has been listed for her.
