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, which she and other Republicans believe encourages violence against President Donald Trump.

In an Instagram post, Comey shared a picture of seashells arranged in a way that looked like the numbers "86 47," captioning it "cool shell formation on my beach walk."

Several former officials from the Trump administration, such as Noem, claimed Comey was encouraging the assassination of President Trump. Noem stated that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service were examining this possible threat and would take suitable action.

According to Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by the Associated Press, "86" is slang for "getting rid of" something or refusing to serve someone. More recently, it has also come to mean "to kill," although the dictionary hasn't included this definition yet because it's still new and not very common.

The post has been removed. Comey later wrote, "I shared a photo of shells I found on the beach, thinking they didn't have any hidden meaning. I didn't know some people connect those numbers with violence."

Comey's initial statement caused strong negative reactions from conservatives online, including Donald Trump Jr., who claimed Comey was suggesting his father should be killed.

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

James Blair, a senior White House advisor, pointed out that the role was particularly sensitive as Trump was travelling in the Middle East.

Blair wrote on X that Jim Comey's actions were like a clear invitation to terrorists and unfriendly governments to assassinate the US President while he was travelling in the Middle East.

Comey, the FBI director between 2013 and 2017, was dismissed by Trump early in his presidency. This happened while the FBI was investigating alleged connections between Russian officials and Trump's 2016 campaign. Comey later wrote about his experiences in a successful memoir called "A Higher Loyalty."

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