The Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, stated on Thursday that federal law enforcement is looking into a social media post by ex-FBI Director James Comey, which she and other Republicans believe encourages violence against President Donald Trump.

In an Instagram post, Comey shared a picture of seashells he found on the beach that seemed to spell out "86 47," captioning it "cool shell formation on my beach walk."

Several former officials from Trump's government, such as Noem, claimed that Comey was encouraging the assassination of the former president. Noem stated that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service were looking into 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 meanings, but this usage is not included due to its limited and recent appearance.

The original post has been removed. Comey later wrote that he had posted a photo of shells from a beach walk, thinking they didn't have any hidden meaning. However, he didn't know that some people connect those numbers with violence.

Comey's first message caused anger among conservatives online, with Donald Trump Jr. claiming Comey was suggesting his father should be killed.

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, pointed out that the role was especially important as Trump was travelling in the Middle East at a sensitive time.

Blair wrote on X that Jim Comey's words could be interpreted as a dangerous invitation to terrorists and hostile governments to harm the US President during his trip to the Middle East.

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

He now writes crime novels and is currently promoting his new book, “FDR Drive,” which comes out on Tuesday.