A 29-year-old man has been arrested by federal authorities after allegedly posting a $45,000 bounty seeking the death of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. The startling threat was broadcast via social media and is being treated by investigators as a serious attempt to spur violent action.

According to court documents, the suspect, identified as Tyler Maxon Avalos, posted a photo of Bondi to a TikTok account earlier this month. The image featured a red sniper-scope overlay on her forehead and bore the text: “WANTED: Pam Bondi / REWARD: $45,000 DEAD OR ALIVE / (PREFERABLY DEAD).” Below the image, the caption read: “Cough cough. When they don’t serve us, then what?”

Prosecutors described the post as a “calculated attempt to incite violence against a federal official,” rather than merely political commentary. Soon after the post appeared, an anonymous tipster alerted law-enforcement officials, prompting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its Joint Terrorism Task Force to mobilize. On October 16, agents located and arrested Avalos at his residence without incident.

The Department of Justice stressed in a statement that while free-speech protections remain strong, they do not extend to solicitations of murder or violence. Public-official threats such as this are felonies and will be met with full prosecutorial force, the agency said.

Court filings reveal that Avalos has a lengthy criminal record that includes a 2016 domestic battery conviction in Florida and a 2022 stalking conviction in Minnesota linked to online harassment of a journalist. According to law-enforcement officials, Avalos was on probation until earlier this year. His online activity in recent months is said to have escalated significantly — shifting from bitter rants about government corruption to explicit advocacy of violent acts.

In the criminal complaint, agents report tracing the TikTok account’s IP address to Avalos’s home internet service. During a search of his residence, federal agents seized several electronic devices, a computer hard-drive containing violent imagery, and handwritten notes referencing “targets.” While no firearms were located during the raid, prosecutors note that the threat itself is enough to trigger federal criminal liability.

Avalos now faces federal charges for interstate transmission of a threat to injure another person—a serious offense that carries the possibility of up to five years in prison, along with substantial fines. The U.S. Attorney handling the case emphasized that the absence of successful execution does not lessen the gravity of a public bounty on a federal official’s life.

This incident comes amid broader concern about online radicalization and the growing use of social-media platforms to spread extremist ideologies. Researchers, such as Dr. Evan Raines of the University of Pennsylvania, warn that digital echo chambers can seduce vulnerable individuals into believing that violence is justified, or even necessary. Once radicalized, these individuals may no longer view online threats as harmless.

In response to this case and others, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for stronger cooperation between social-media companies and law enforcement. Tech platforms, too, have taken notice: the suspect’s TikTok account was removed shortly after the warning became public, but screenshots and reposts continue to circulate.

Meanwhile, sources inside Bondi’s office say her personal security detail has been on heightened alert since late September, following an uptick in online threats targeting high-ranking government officials. One security adviser described the situation as sparking a “top-to-bottom review of protection protocols” across the Department of Justice, underscoring the gravity of targeting public servants.

As of now, Avalos remains in federal custody awaiting a preliminary hearing, during which prosecutors are expected to argue for denial of bail given his criminal history and the nature of his alleged crime. His court-appointed defense attorney has declined to comment publicly. Legal analysts note that the prosecution must prove the threat rose to the level of a “true threat”—one that would lead a reasonable person to believe the speaker intends to act.

If convicted, Avalos faces up to five years in federal prison and additional potential penalties for violating previous probation terms. The case illuminates the growing intersection of online extremism, social media, and real-world threats. For Bondi and other public officials, it serves as a stark reminder that the line between speech and solicitations of violence is one that the justice system will not allow to be crossed.