US President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One via a small stairway on Sunday at Palm Beach International Airport due to “increased security measures,” a White House official told Fox News.
The heightened precautions followed the Secret Service’s discovery on Friday of a suspected elevated hunting stand near the airport with a clear line of sight to the presidential plane. No individuals were present or arrested at the site.
USSS spotted suspicious stand near AF1 zone
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that his agency is leading the investigation. Patel said the hunting stand has not yet been connected to any individual.
"Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone," Patel told Fox News Digital.
"No individuals were located at the scene. The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities."
USSS chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi also confirmed that the organisation is "working closely" with the FBI as well as law enforcement in Palm Beach County.
Guglielmi said agents discovered the hunting stand during their "advance security preparations" prior to Trump's arrival in Palm Beach.
"There was no impact to any movements, and no individuals were present or involved at the location," Guglielmi told Fox News.
"While we are not able to provide details about the specific items or their intent, this incident underscores the importance of our layered security measures," he added.
Was this another plot to assassinate Trump?
Trump has faced several threats over the past two years, starting on the campaign trail and continuing after his election to another term.
Last year alone, he survived two assassination attempts. The first occurred in July during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire at Trump from a rooftop. Crooks was shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
The second attempt took place in September while Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ryan Routh, 59, concealed himself in the shrubbery near the course in what prosecutors called a plot to kill the then-presidential candidate. Secret Service agents discovered Routh before Trump arrived, leading to his arrest.
These incidents highlight the ongoing security challenges surrounding the president amid heightened threats.
Additionally, this investigation comes weeks after Ryan Routh was found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump on a Palm Beach golf course from a sniper's nest he set up in bushes along a fence line.
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