A Massachusetts man was arrested after a confrontation with law enforcement in which he displayed a sword, federal authorities said. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Andrew Emerald, faces an eight-count federal indictment filed in Springfield, Massachusetts over multiple threatening posts on Facebook directed at U.S. President Donald Trump.
The indictment alleges a string of online threats made last year, including a post in which Emerald purportedly vowed to travel to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida if the president was not dead by 2026. In another post cited by prosecutors from May 2025, he is quoted as saying, "Either Trump is dead and in the ground by 2026 or I am hunting him down and putting him there."
Prosecutors said the Facebook posts came to the attention of the FBI after a private citizen reported Emerald, warning him that threatening the life of the president is a crime. According to documents filed by prosecutors seeking detention, Emerald replied that he had been threatening Trump online for a decade and told the tipster, "I’ll kill them until they kill me."
When FBI agents arrived at Emerald's residence in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on Wednesday to execute an arrest warrant, he initially refused to exit. The affidavit from an FBI agent states that Emerald eventually stepped into view while carrying a long, metallic sword. The affidavit also notes that Emerald had previously referenced the sword in his Facebook commentary, including a July 2025 post in which he said he would "stick it through the president’s throat."
During the encounter, Emerald told agents that they would have to shoot him, according to the FBI agent’s account. Local police and a crisis negotiation team from the FBI were called in to manage the situation. The affidavit states that Emerald agreed to be taken into custody after a police officer reached him by phone.
A lawyer for Emerald did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to court filings.
Context and legal posture
The charges are contained in an eight-count indictment filed in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts. Court filings and the FBI affidavit cited by prosecutors form the basis for the description of the alleged social media threats, the tip from a citizen, and details of the arrest operation in Great Barrington.
The affidavit and indictment quoted several of Emerald's posts and recounted the law enforcement response that culminated in his arrest after he presented himself armed with a sword and spoke to officers by phone.
Quotes cited in filings
"Either Trump is dead and in the ground by 2026 or I am hunting him down and putting him there."
"I’ll kill them until they kill me."
Reference in July 2025 post that he would "stick it through the president’s throat."