Washington DC [US], May 17 (ANI): USPresident Donald Trump on Friday criticised former FBI Director James Comey over a now-deleted Instagram post featuring the number “8647” spelt out in seashells, and rejected his explanation by saying, “he knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant.”

According to ABC News, in an interview excerpt aired on Friday, Trump told Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” that he doesn’t buy Comey’s explanation.

“He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination. Well, he apologised because he was hit, he’s a very bad guy,” Trump said, ABC News reported.

Comey had shared an image of the number “8647” arranged with seashells in the sand, accompanied by the caption, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

The number raised concerns, as “86” is often used as slang for getting rid of something or ejecting someone, especially in restaurant and bar settings when referring to menu items. The number “47” is believed to reference Trump, who is the 47th president of the United States.

Officials from the Trump administration, along with President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., viewed Comey’s post as a threat to the president’s life.

Following Comey’s social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is coordinating with the US Secret Service. Patel confirmed that the FBI will fully support the Secret Service’s investigation into the post allegedly targeting President Trump.

Sharing a post on X, Patel said, “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters, and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem condemned Comey, accusing him of inciting violence against President Trump. Noem said the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service will take appropriate action.

In a post on X, Noem said, “Disgraced former FBIDirector James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump. DHS and the Secret Service are investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”

Donald Trump Jr. also criticised Comey, accusing him of calling for the assassination of his father, President Trump.

Donald Trump Jr in a post on X said, “Just James Comey casually calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented.”

Comey responded to the backlash over his post. In a statement posted on Instagram, Comey said he shared a photo of seashells arranged in numbers, assuming it was a political message, and was unaware that the numbers could be linked to violence.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realise some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down,” Comey said in a statement on Instagram, the New York Post reported.

On September 4, 2013, James Comey was sworn in as the seventh Director of the FBI. He oversaw key investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election and Hillary Clinton’s email controversy, before he was fired by Trump in May 2017, shortly after Trump started his first administration.

He served in the position for over three years. Republicans and Democrats have heavily criticised the former FBI director for his investigations into Trump and Clinton and how he handled each in the public sphere. Neither investigation resulted in charges against the two politicians, according to CNN.