The Association of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the escalation of threats against them after the raid on former President Donald Trump’s administration provoked violence against law enforcement, saying it was “unacceptable.”

The FBI has been described by conservative politicians and Trump himself as “corrupt” and “politicized” after Monday’s raid on the former president’s home in which FBI agents sought to obtain classified documents held by Trump in violation of official records.

This was followed by a spate of violent threats against the FBI and the Department of Justice on social media and in conservative chat rooms.

“Private agents and their families should never be threatened with violence, including for doing their jobs,” the FBI said in a statement.

“The recent threats are creating an atmosphere in which some have accepted or will accept violence against law enforcement,” she added.

The association’s statement came shortly after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he personally approved the unprecedented search of the former president’s home. Garland called the attacks on the FBI “unjustified”.

“I will not stand still” when FBI agents are “unfairly attacked,” he said.