A U.S. Air Force veteran from Ishpeming, Michigan, finds himself in legal trouble after making incendiary threats against President Donald Trump, motivated by displeasure over the administration’s policies on LGBTQ rights and immigration. According to federal investigators, 21-year-old Joshua Young faces charges for threatening to harm the president, following a series of alarming posts on social media platforms.

Young’s controversial online activity included an Instagram post where he declared, “I am going to kill Trump, raise him from the dead, and kill him again.” His social media presence was littered with statements such as “Death to the dictator” and “Kill the dictator,” along with lengthy diatribes explaining his perceived necessity to target the nation’s leader.

In a specific Facebook post, highlighted in a federal criminal complaint, Young expressed his belief that peaceful protests were ineffective against the Trump administration. “They can’t comprehend it with their little rich braincells,” he wrote. He even suggested, “The White House burned down once before, we need to burn it down again. This time with them in it.”

Further exacerbating concerns, Young allegedly called for extreme measures on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, advocating for the return of public executions. “We need to bring back public executions and execute the Trump administration for the world to see. We can’t let that Nazi gain any more power,” he allegedly posted.

Young’s rhetoric, which also included slogans like “DEATH TO POTUS” and “DEATH TO MAGA,” was coupled with hashtags like #FreeAmerica, clearly indicating his radical stance against the current political climate.

The former airman was ordered held last week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Maarten Vermaat based on the “weight of evidence” against Young and allegations that he poses a “serious danger to any person or the community,” per Vermaat’s order.

The felony charges Young is facing each carry potential penalties of five years in a federal prison. The threats he allegedly made online were posted in January, April and June across multiple platforms.

Authorities, including the U.S. Secret Service, were tipped off in September about the alleged posts and Young was visited on Oct. 7 by agents, according to the complaint.

“When asked why he made the comments … Young stated, ‘I don’t like what he’s doing’ referencing President Trump,” the complaint alleges. “Young continued to explain he is a gay/non-binary person who aligns with the LGBTQ community and is angered by the administration’s policies on LGBTQ rights.”

Young went on to say that he is “frustrated and saddened with the current situation surrounding immigration rights” — telling investigators, “I hurt when others hurt,” according to the complaint. “Young continued by stating the administration’s ‘lack of assistance and protecting the American people and protecting the elites’ frustrates him.”

Young admitted to being behind the posts and accounts linked to them, which used online aliases, per the complaint. He also allegedly confessed to wanting to target Trump specifically.

Young was a member of the Air Force from August 2022 until he was discharged in January 2024, the complaint says. He is being held in Marquette County.