Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for a second time and will face charges brought by the US Department of Justice, multiple sources told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. The specific charges remain unknown, but sources indicate they relate to an image Comey briefly shared on Instagram last year showing seashells forming the numbers "86 47."

Comey has insisted he did not know what the numbers meant, but President Donald Trump and other administration officials have claimed the post was a threat against the 47th president. "Eighty-six" is slang for "eject" or "remove." The department first charged Comey in September with lying to Congress over press leaks, but a federal judge dismissed that case in November, ruling that the interim prosecutor who brought the charges was improperly appointed.

US Secret Service agents interviewed Comey last May about the seashell photo. Comey deleted the Instagram post, saying in a follow-up that he "assumed [the sea shells] were a political message" and "didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence." He added, "It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."

President Trump, who has long criticized Comey, said of the post that "a child knows what that meant." Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury in late September on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction, but pleaded not guilty before the case was dismissed in November.

US District Judge Cameron Currie tossed the indictment because prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecution experience, was "invalidly" appointed as US attorney. However, the judge left the door open for the government to try again. Comey acknowledged that possibility, saying he believes Trump "will probably come after me again."

Source: www.bbc.com