BOSTON — A Tewksbury man has been charged in federal court in Boston with threatening the president, after prosecutors said he posted messages on Instagram threatening to kill Donald Trump and to carry out a school shooting.

Trenton Touch, 18, was charged by criminal complaint with making a threat against the president, the U.S. attorney's office in Massachusetts said Thursday. He is in state custody and is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Nov. 9.

According to charging documents, investigators received information on Sept. 10 about four Instagram accounts containing violent and threatening content, including a threat against the president. Prosecutors allege Touch used all four accounts and sent multiple messages threatening to kill others, including threats to shoot up a school.

On June 21, prosecutors said, Touch posted an image of a gun in an Instagram direct message along with the messages "it's time," "im gonna kill trump" and "not yet unc I suck at shooting past 200 yards."

Prosecutors also said Touch frequently referred to mass shooters who carried out racially motivated attacks as "heroes" and often mentioned the shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 people.

A search of Touch's home turned up a revolver-style gun, camouflage clothing, a ballistics helmet, military-style knives and a hatchet, according to the U.S. attorney's office. The case was investigated by the FBI Boston Division's Joint Terrorism Task Force, whose special agent in charge, Ted E. Docks, described Touch as "an alleged white supremacist."

The charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

The charges are allegations, and Touch is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

This brief was drafted by AI from a public agency or political press release and published by The New England Signal. Why we use AI for stories like this one.