The U.S. Secret Service placed former FBI Director James Comey under physical and electronic surveillance after he posted an Instagram photo of seashells arranged as “86 47,” a combination critics of Donald Trump use to urge the removal of the 47th president. Trump allies, including his son Donald Trump Jr., argued the image constituted an assassination threat. Three government officials told the New York Times that plain-clothes officers in unmarked vehicles followed Comey and his wife from a North Carolina vacation spot through Virginia to their home in the Washington area. Agents simultaneously monitored his cellphone location and waited outside his residence—measures normally reserved for individuals deemed an active threat to a protectee. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said the threat environment surrounding President Trump “has never been higher” and the agency will investigate anyone perceived as a potential danger, while declining to discuss the specific operation. Comey deleted the post, said he opposes violence and has not been charged with any crime.