Did Alex Pretti post a photo of him holding a firearm threatening ice?

1. What the public record actually shows about Pretti and the gun

Reporting establishes that Pretti was a licensed concealed‑carry holder who had a handgun on his person during the encounter in Minneapolis and that two federal agents fired their weapons during the incident, but analyses of bystander video and sworn witness statements indicate he did not reach for or brandish the weapon before he was shot ^{[3] [6] [1]}. Several outlets note videos reviewed by reporters show Pretti holding a phone and making no threatening movements toward agents while his holstered gun remained at his hip until it was later removed in the scuffle ^{[3] [1]}.

2. Who circulated images and what they were

Government officials and the president shared imagery and descriptions tied to the incident — for example, the Department of Homeland Security picture of the firearm was posted by President Trump on social media as part of his commentary calling Pretti a “gunman,” not evidence that Pretti himself distributed such a photo as a threat to ICE ^{[1] [7]}. Reporting notes the administration’s rapid characterization of Pretti as brandishing a weapon was later called into question by video analysis and witness affidavits ^{[2] [4]}.

3. The competing narratives and why the “threatening photo” claim matters

Officials including senior DHS leaders and the Border Patrol commander initially framed the event as Pretti approaching agents with a gun and threatening violence, language that amplified political backlash and framed him as an aggressor ^{[8] [9]}. Independent video analyses and sworn witnesses, however, directly contradict claims that Pretti brandished or threatened officers, undermining any inference that he had posted a menacing image to intimidate ICE ^{[2] [1]}.

4. Gaps in the record — what the reporting does not say

None of the provided sources assert that Pretti photographed himself holding the weapon and posted that image to threaten ICE; the documentary trail instead shows bystander video of the confrontation and government-released photos of the weapon after the shooting, with no reporting that Pretti authored or shared a threatening firearm photo online ^{[3] [1] [7]}. Therefore, absence of evidence in these reports is significant: the claim that Pretti posted such a photo is not supported by the reporting at hand ^{[1] [2]}.

5. Evidence handling and potential motivations to amplify images

Questions about evidence custody—CBP reports saying agents placed Pretti’s gun in a vehicle rather than sealing it in evidence bags—and the administration’s immediate use of gun imagery to shape public perception highlight institutional choices about which images and narratives to promote, and why those choices can matter politically even when bystander footage shows different facts ^{[6] [7]}. Critics and civil‑liberties groups argue that circulating the weapon image and aggressive rhetoric risked framing Pretti as culpable without corroborating the on‑scene video and witness affidavits ^{[8] [2]}.

6. Conclusion: direct answer to the query

Based on the reporting supplied, there is no documented instance of Alex Pretti posting a photograph of himself holding a firearm to threaten ICE; the visuals and claims in circulation were produced or amplified by government officials and the president, while independent videos and witness testimony contradict assertions that Pretti brandished or used his gun against agents ^{[1] [7] [2] [3]}.