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Three University of South Alabama students were arrested Friday over alleged threats against President Donald Trump ahead of his evening rally on the Mobile campus, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News.
The students were each charged with threatening the president over social media posts allegedly made in the days leading up to Trump’s visit, according to the Lagniappe Daily.
The federal cases were unsealed Friday afternoon, just hours before Trump was scheduled to take the stage at the university’s Mitchell Center, the outlet reported.
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President Donald Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally in the Mitchell Center at the University of South Alabama, Friday, in Mobile, Ala. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Federal investigators discovered the posts while conducting social media intelligence searches ahead of the president’s visit and used emergency disclosure requests and information from University of South Alabama police to identify the individuals, according to FBI affidavits cited by Lagniappe.
One student allegedly wrote a threatening remark toward Trump under a TikTok post about the president’s planned visit to the campus, according to an FBI affidavit cited by the outlet.
Another student allegedly posted on X that people would “remember the University of South Alabama the same way they remember Utah Valley University,” according to the outlet’s account of the FBI affidavit.
Investigators noted that Utah Valley University was where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot last year.
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President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in the Mitchell Center at the University of South Alabama on Friday in Mobile. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A third student allegedly replied to a TikTok post about Trump’s appearance.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said earlier in the week that his office was assisting federal authorities as they monitored social media activity related to the president’s upcoming appearance.
The University of South Alabama said ahead of the event that the rally was not university-sponsored and that the Mitchell Center had been rented by the Republican National Committee (RNC).
“The University of South Alabama unequivocally condemns any form of threats directed at elected officials or any individual with whom we disagree,” the university said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We encourage open dialogue and active civic participation, and having a difference of opinion is a natural part of any vibrant community.
“However, there is a clear line between exercising free expression and engaging in intimidation or unlawful conduct.”
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President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in the Mitchell Center at the University of South Alabama on Friday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump took the stage for the midterm campaign rally Friday evening as scheduled, returning to Mobile roughly 11 years after his 2015 rally in the city during the opening months of his first presidential campaign.
“It sort of all began here,” Trump told the crowd Friday, recalling the 2015 event.
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He also recognized Burch and University of South Alabama President Jo Bonner from the stage.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice, FBI, Secret Service and the University of South Alabama for additional information.
