A Wisconsin case involving a failed plot against President Donald Trump continues to raise questions about unidentified online actors who allegedly encouraged violence but remain uncharged.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A deadly plot targeting President Donald Trump, carried out by a Wisconsin teenager who murdered his parents, remains partially unresolved as investigators and researchers point to unidentified online figures who may have influenced the attack.
Nikita Casap was sentenced to life in prison in March for killing his mother and stepfather after authorities uncovered plans to finance an assassination attempt against Trump, acquire weapons, and flee overseas. Court proceedings detailed in a report on his life sentences revealed that Casap intended to use family funds to support the operation while maintaining contact with individuals believed to be outside the United States.
Documents later reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation describe communications between Casap and multiple online contacts, some reportedly located in Europe. In one exchange, an associate expressed concern that federal authorities were pursuing another potential accomplice, though only Casap has been taken into custody.
Federal investigators linked Casap to extremist online communities, including adherence to the Order of Nine Angles, a fringe Satanist group, and participation in neo-Nazi chat networks. According to a March 2025 FBI affidavit, individuals within those networks provided instructions on concealing the killings, drafting a manifesto, escaping the state, and obtaining a drone capable of delivering explosives. Casap was arrested in Kansas in February 2025 before any attack could be carried out.
Authorities categorized Casap among “Nihilistic Violent Extremists,” described in prior reporting as criminals seeking to collapse existing political systems. Casap’s writings indicated that assassinating Trump would contribute to destabilizing governments, with one online contact stating, “Russia will be blamed for it, this is the goal,” according to the FBI. The same individual instructed him to prepare a written manifesto and photograph it for distribution.
At his televised sentencing hearing, Casap acknowledged his actions and described his mindset. “The truth is I became obsessed with hateful thoughts and feelings,” he said. “I felt like the world was a sick, evil place, and my extreme actions to try to change it were justified. I thought I was part of a revolution, part of a war. And I told myself that bad things have to happen in war.”
Investigators determined that Casap lived in the same home as the victims’ bodies for approximately two weeks following the killings. During that time, he remained in contact with individuals communicating in Russian who advised him to respond to messages from family members using the victims’ phones and to claim illness. “Take [drag] them to the basement,” one message read, according to federal documents.
The precise method Casap intended to use against Trump remains unclear. Messages referenced plans to acquire a drone “with a dropping mechanism,” while another contact identified as “Forest” directed him to alter vehicle registration details and travel across multiple states before attempting to leave the country.
Some officials involved in the case suggested that individuals offering assistance may have been attempting to defraud Casap rather than actively support an attack. However, researcher Becca Spinks, whose team has examined online extremist networks, disputed that interpretation in findings published through her investigation. “These guys are heavy-hitting Nazis,” she said.
Spinks’ team also attempted to identify individuals referenced in the FBI affidavit. In one exchange, a Telegram user described as Ukrainian and identified through materials as “asellfuck” responded defensively when questioned. “So why are you studying this?” the individual asked. “Do you want to commit a terrorist attack?” The same user assured the researcher that another contact had been warned about FBI scrutiny and later stated, “You’re asking too dangerous questions, I’m sorry, but I’m not ready to answer such questions for free,” as shown in additional messages. Supporting materials also included references identifying the user as Ukrainian and attempts to question the individual.
The FBI indicated in its affidavit that additional individuals may have been involved. “Other parties … appear to have been aware of his plan and actions and to have provided assistance to Casap in carrying them out,” the bureau wrote. Despite that assessment, authorities have not confirmed whether further charges are being pursued. The Department of Justice agreed not to use certain statements made by Casap while in custody in any federal prosecution, according to statements made during sentencing.
Officials, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Taibleson, the FBI’s Milwaukee office, Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson, and Casap’s legal counsel, did not respond to requests for comment regarding the status of any broader investigation.
The case has drawn attention to a broader pattern of violent plots linked to online radicalization. Prior incidents include a teenager convicted of plotting a school attack in Indiana and findings from multiple reports connecting extremist online networks to youth violence. Additional reporting has examined links between attacks and online platforms as well as alleged connections to Satanist groups.
One individual tied to influencing Casap has been prosecuted. Dallas Humber, a California woman associated with the designated foreign terrorist group Terrorgram Collective, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being charged in a case outlined in a federal indictment. A subsequent plea agreement described how her group’s materials inspired an individual identified as “N.C.” to commit killings in Wisconsin as part of a plan targeting a federal official.
Spinks said determining accountability beyond those already charged remains difficult. “I mean, how do we get justice on a Russian white nationalist cell?” she said, adding that online environments can make individuals vulnerable to influence. “He self-radicalized in these online spaces, and made himself an easy target for foreign actors who tried to goad him to take it to the next level.”
Before sentencing, Casap accepted responsibility for the murders while acknowledging his exposure to extremist material. “Looking back, I wish I had stepped away from the hate-filled content instead of intentionally seeking it out,” he said. “I wish I had the wisdom to at least question the extremists that I was listening to.”
“I cannot blame the videos, propaganda, and people that inspired my actions because I had the ability to choose right instead of wrong,” he added. “To the other young people that they are targeting right now, that would be my message: You have the ability to choose right instead of wrong.”
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