By Ben Collins, Ryan J. Reilly, Jason Abbruzzese and Jonathan Dienst -
NBC News
A man identified by two law enforcement sources as Ricky Shiffer, who was killed in a confrontation with police after firing a nail gun into an FBI building in Cincinnati, has apparently posted online in recent days expressing a desire to kill. to FBI agents shortly after former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence was searched.
Two law enforcement officers confirmed Shiffer's name and said he participated in the attack on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021, according to three people assisting law enforcement who saw him in photos taken the day of the assault.
Shiffer frequently posted about his attendance at the Capitol on social media.
On Truth Social, a social media platform founded by the former president's media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, Shiffer posted a message detailing his failed attempt to break into the FBI building.
“I thought I had a way to get through bulletproof glass, and it didn't.
If you don't hear from me, it's true that I tried to attack the FBI, and that will mean that I have either been taken off the internet, the FBI discovered me, or they have sent the normal cops while,” the @RickyWShifferJr account wrote at 9:00: 29 a.m. ET shortly after police alleged the shooting took place.
Ohio authorities arrive at FBI Cincinnati facility.NBC News
Shiffer posted on Truth Social multiple times in the days after the FBI searched Trump's residence in Palm Beach, Florida, about his desire for violence.
A message called on people to arm themselves and be prepared for "combat."
"We must not tolerate this,"
he wrote.
Shiffer's Truth Social account, which was seen by NBC News on Thursday night, has since been unavailable.
After another user responded that his photo and information had been forwarded to the FBI, Shiffer's account replied, "Let them come."
[FBI director denounces threats against agency after Mar-a-Lago search]
In response to another post asking if Shiffer was advocating terrorism, Shiffer's account responded that users should kill FBI agents "on the spot" and also target a vague list of enemies trying to stop the killings.
He also replied to a message saying, "You're a fool if you think there's a non-violent solution."
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On May 7, the account also responded to a post by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Georgia, on Twitter, in which she wrote,
"I know they're trying 1984 but I'm getting 2016 vibes."
"Congressman Greene, you got away with rigging an election in full view," Shiffer's account wrote.
"It's over. The next step is the one we used in 1775."
[Trump invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times in questioning before the New York District Attorney]
The same day, he also replied to a post by Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter imploring users to "get ready" because "the (COVID-19) mid-term variant is coming and it's going to be really scary." , referring to conspiracy theories that COVID-19 is manufactured or not dangerous, the account responded: "Don't comply."
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Pro-Trump internet forums erupted with violent threats and calls for civil war in the hours and days after the Mar-a-Lago raid, at least one of them from a person who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 2021.
Many Republican lawmakers have criticized the Biden administration for the record.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday called Trump allies' criticism of the Justice Department "baseless," as did FBI Director Christopher Wray, who said Thursday that the threats against the FBI "should deeply concern the public." all Americans.”
Trump repeatedly posted on Truth Social after the search, including to imply that the FBI had installed evidence.