Federal investigators say violent Instagram messages were linked to an 18-year-old whose home was searched and where weapons and military-style items were seized.
BOSTON, MA — An 18-year-old Massachusetts man has been charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump after investigators linked him to several Instagram accounts containing violent messages, including an alleged threat to carry out a school shooting, federal prosecutors said.
Trenton Touch of Tewksbury was charged by criminal complaint with making a threat against the president of the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts announced Nov. 5. Touch remained in state custody and was scheduled to make his initial federal court appearance in Boston on Nov. 9. Prosecutors said the federal charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The allegations have not been proven, and Touch is presumed innocent unless convicted.
According to federal charging documents, law enforcement received information on Sept. 10 about four Instagram accounts that contained violent and threatening material. Investigators later concluded that Touch was the alleged user of all four accounts. Prosecutors said messages associated with the accounts included threats to kill people, shoot up a school and kill Trump.
Federal authorities said one of the alleged presidential threats was sent June 21 in an Instagram direct message that included an image of a firearm. The message stated that it was “time” and included a threat to kill Trump, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Investigators also alleged that Touch discussed his shooting ability in the exchange. Authorities have not said that an attack on the president or a school was carried out.
The charging documents also describe repeated references to mass shooters and racially motivated violence. Prosecutors said Touch allegedly referred to some mass shooters as “heroes” and repeatedly referenced the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, in which 51 people were killed. The FBI has characterized Touch as an alleged white supremacist. Those descriptions are allegations contained in the government’s case and have not been established at trial.
Local police had already arrested Touch on state firearms charges after executing a search warrant at his Tewksbury residence on Oct. 26. Tewksbury police said the warrant stemmed from an investigation into threats of violence made online. Officers reported finding a revolver-style handgun and ammunition and said Touch did not have the required Firearms Identification Card. He was charged with possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of ammunition without an FID card and improper storage of a firearm.
Tewksbury police said Touch was arrested without incident and arraigned in Lowell District Court. He was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail. Police said that if he posted bail, he would be placed on home confinement with GPS monitoring and barred from possessing firearms. Federal authorities later said the search also recovered camouflage clothing, a ballistics helmet, military-style knives and a hatchet.
Additional court information reported by The Boston Globe said investigators searched a residence belonging to Touch’s grandparents in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and found a rifle and ammunition in a basement room where he stayed. According to the federal complaint cited by the newspaper, investigators believed the rifle matched the firearm pictured in the June Instagram message containing the alleged threat against Trump.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said the alleged threats required a law enforcement response and noted that threatening the president is a federal crime. Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said evidence recovered by the Joint Terrorism Task Force contributed to authorities’ concern about the alleged threats. The investigation involved the FBI, Tewksbury Police Department, Methuen Police Department and Massachusetts State Police.
The federal case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Looney of the National Security Unit. Touch remained in state custody as federal proceedings approached. His initial appearance on the presidential-threat charge was scheduled for Nov. 9 in federal court in Boston, while the state firearms case was proceeding separately.
Author note: Last updated November 6, 2026.