Former FBI director under investigation after posting cryptic message

Mr Comey, who was fired by President Trump early in his first term, had posted an image of seashells arranged in the shape of the numerals “8647.”

The number “86” is commonly used as slang to mean getting rid of something or ejecting someone — especially in restaurant and bar settings when referring to menu items. President Trump is the 47th president of the US.

“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” the FBI chief-turned-crime novelist captioned the post.

Trump administration officials and the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., interpreted Comey’s post as a death threat against the commander in chief.

“While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President of the United States — a message etched in the sand,” White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich wrote on X. “This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously.”

“Just James Comey causally [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered,” Trump Jr. tweeted, sharing a screenshot of the former FBI director’s Instagram post. “This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!”

Texan Senator Ted Cruz echoed the sentiment saying, “Is there any other reasonable explanation for this post other than that…the former head of the FBI is publicly calling for the murder of the President of the United States?”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem indicated that the Secret Service is now involved in the matter.

“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,” Noem wrote on X. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”

Comey, who launched the investigation into allegations of collusion between Russia and President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign — which rested on debunked intelligence from the infamous Steele dossier — claims he “didn’t realize” some would view the post as a call for violence.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey said in a statement, posted on Instagram. “ I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.”

“It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

President Trump, 78, was shot in the ear last July during a failed assassination attempt that left two others seriously injured and one person dead.

‘Freedom zone’: Trump’s Middle East plan

Meanwhile, President Trump is on a tour of the Gulf nations where said that he would be “proud” to take control of Gaza and make it a “freedom zone” — as the a fresh round of violence erupted in the Middle East overnight.

Israeli air strikes reportedly killed more than 120 people on Thursday as it issued an evacuation order for civilians in Gaza city.

Under a new cabinet-approved plan, Israel aims to reoccupy parts of the enclave.

“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone,” the US leader said in Qatar. “I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.”

It’s not the first time President Trump has put forward his vision for the future of Gaza.

In February, he said he would like to see the US to take control of the Palestinian territory to allow for its reconstruction as a luxury leisure and business hub.

This was followed by a now-infamous AI-generated video he posted on social media showing ‘Trump Gaza’ — a luxurious fictional resort filled with casinos and fancy hotels.

Hamas does not seem interested in the plans. After President Trump’s latest comments in Qatar, it warned that Gaza was not “for sale”.

Hamas official Naim said “Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian land — it is not real estate for sale on the open market”.

Fresh violence erupts

Palestinian rescuers reported 120 people killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a US-backed organisation said it intends to begin distributing aid by the end of the month.

Aid to Gaza has been cut off since March 2, a tactic Israel has said is intended to force concessions from Hamas, but the group insisted on Thursday that the restoration of humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged territory was “the minimum requirement” for talks.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said the death toll from Israeli bombardment since dawn on Thursday had risen to 120.

Israel’s aid blockade preceded a resumption of military operations on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had largely halted hostilities since mid-January.

For weeks, UN agencies have warned that supplies of everything from food and clean water to fuel and medicines are reaching new lows.

The World Health Organization said the last hospital in Gaza providing cancer and cardiac care had stopped functioning after an Israeli attack on Tuesday left it “severely damaged and inaccessible”.

UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, accused Israel of “killing what’s left of Humanity”.

AFPTV footage from the aftermath of a strike on Deir al-Balah in the centre of the territory showed flattened buildings and piles of concrete rubble.

“We pray for this war to end, and we appeal to all international institutions to end the war because enough is enough,” said Gaza resident Maher Ghanem, his arm in a sling.

Gaza not ‘for sale’

Following the latest deaths, Hamas called on the international community to hold Israel to account for what it described as a “barbaric escalation”.

Israel says its aid stoppage and military pressure are meant to force Hamas to free the remaining hostages seized during the October 2023 attack that triggered the war.

But senior Hamas official Basem Naim said the entry of aid into Gaza was “the minimum requirement for a conducive and constructive negotiation environment”.

“Access to food, water, and medicine is a fundamental human right — not a subject for negotiation,” he added.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-supported NGO, said it would begin distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza this month after talks with Israeli officials.

But the United Nations on Thursday ruled out involvement with the initiative.

“As we’ve stated repeatedly, this particular distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality, independence, and we will not be participating in this,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the criticism of the plan and said Washington was “open to an alternative if someone has a better one”.

The United Nations estimates that 70 per cent of Gaza is now either an Israeli-declared no-go zone or under evacuation order.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said 2,876 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,010.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.

West Bank raids

In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, raids were ongoing and roads blocked after Israel’s military chief vowed to find the perpetrators of an attack that killed a pregnant Israeli woman.

WhatsApp groups for Israeli settlers in the territory were rife with calls for vengeance in retaliation for the attack.

In the northern village of Tammun, Israeli troops killed five Palestinians in a raid the military described as targeting buildings suspected of being used to plan attacks.