Federal agents have reportedly arrested Ayden Langevin less than 24 hours after a TikTok video circulated in which a man called for an armed rush on the White House and the killing of President Trump and Secret Service personnel.

Libs of TikTok, the account that first amplified the clip and tagged the FBI, identified Langevin by name Monday morning and said it had confirmed that agents took him into custody.

Eric Daugherty relayed the arrest report shortly afterward:

No federal criminal complaint or formal FBI or Justice Department statement naming charges against Langevin was publicly available early Monday. The arrest report comes from the account that raised the alarm and says it confirmed the action; the exact allegations and custody status still await an official filing.

But there is no ambiguity about the statements that set off the alarm.

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The man urged people to get guns, gather together and rush the White House. He repeatedly said President Trump and the Secret Service had to be killed.

That was not a vague political rant. It was an explicit call for armed violence against the president and the agents responsible for protecting him.

Libs of TikTok published the remarks Sunday and tagged the FBI. The post quickly drew the attention of Sen. Mike Lee, who sent a direct public message to FBI Director Kash Patel:

Hours later, the account that first published the clip said the FBI had acted.

The speed matters.

Online threats do not become harmless because they are delivered through a phone screen. They can identify targets, encourage others and create an immediate security problem long before investigators know whether the person speaking has weapons, accomplices or a workable plan.

The Justice Department made that point in another presidential-threat case earlier this year. After the FBI received information about violent social-media posts, agents identified the account holder and federal prosecutors charged him with transmitting threats across state lines.

In announcing that case, federal officials said threats against the president and law-enforcement officers strike at the safety of the country and the rule of law. They also warned that anonymity online does not prevent the FBI from identifying people who make such threats.

Every defendant is entitled to due process, and an arrest is not a conviction. That principle does not require the country to shrug at a public demand for people to arm themselves and kill the president.

Investigators will determine what charges, if any, are supported by the evidence and whether the man in the video had taken any steps beyond posting it.

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For now, one fact stands out: a video calling for mass violence reached millions of people, a United States senator demanded action, and the man publicly identified as its speaker was reportedly in FBI custody by the next morning.

That is what a serious response to a serious threat is supposed to look like.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

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