The Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, announced on Thursday that federal law enforcement is looking into a social media post by ex-FBI Director James Comey. She and other Republicans believe the post may be interpreted as encouraging violence against President Donald Trump.

In an Instagram post, Comey captioned a photo of seashells arranged in a way that looked like "86 47" with the words "interesting shell pattern on my beach walk."

Several former officials from Trump's government, such as Noem, claimed Comey was encouraging people to assassinate Trump, the 47th president. Noem stated that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service were investigating the threat and would take suitable action.

According to Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, the slang term "86" means "to throw out," "to get rid of," or "to refuse service." The dictionary also mentions that a more recent meaning, "to kill," is a logical development of the earlier definitions, but this meaning is not included due to its limited and recent usage.

The post has now been removed. Afterwards, Comey wrote: “Earlier, I shared a photo of shells I found on a beach, thinking it was innocent. I didn't know some people connect those numbers with violent acts."

Comey's initial post caused anger among conservatives online, with Donald Trump Jr. claiming Comey was encouraging the death of his father.

FBI Director Kash Patel stated he knew about the message and was discussing it with the Secret Service and its head.

James Blair, a senior White House advisor for political matters, mentioned that the position was especially important because Trump was travelling in the Middle East at a sensitive time.

Blair wrote on X that Jim Comey's words could be interpreted as an encouragement for terrorists and hostile governments to assassinate the US President during his trip to the Middle East.

Comey, FBI director between 2013 and 2017, was dismissed by Trump early in his presidency while the FBI investigated alleged links between Russian officials and Trump's 2016 campaign. Comey later wrote about his experiences in the popular memoir, "A Higher Loyalty."

He's now writing crime novels and is promoting his new book, "FDR Drive", which comes out on Tuesday.