The FBI is investigating what appears to be a hunting stand with direct line of sight to the area where President Donald Trump exits Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport.
The discovery was made by Secret Service agents last week during advance security sweeps ahead of the president’s arrival in Florida for the weekend, spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to The Independent.
“The U.S. Secret Service is working closely with the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Palm Beach County,” Guglielmi said. “During advance security preparations prior to the Palm Beach arrival, which included the use of technology and comprehensive physical sweeps, our teams identified items of interest near Palm Beach International Airport.”
Guglielmi added that “there was no impact to any movements, and no individuals were present or involved at the location.”
The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation, Guglielmi confirmed, and federal agents spent the weekend processing the scene.
“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 said.
A portion of Southern Boulevard, part of the route Trump’s motorcade travels between the airport and his Mar-a-Lago compound, was shut down for about 24 hours as local and federal authorities secured the area.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed to Fox News that the FBI was taking over the investigation.
“Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, [the Secret Service] discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” he said. “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.”
A law enforcement source told Fox News the stand appeared to have been set up “months ago.”
Trump arrived in Palm Beach around 6:24 p.m. Friday to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate. He was seen golfing at his Trump International Golf Club on Saturday and Sunday, according to a White House pool reports.
The discovery of the tree stand comes a month after Ryan Routh was convicted in Fort Pierce, Florida, of attempting to assassinate Trump last September while the then-presidential candidate was golfing at his club in unincorporated West Palm Beach, just miles from the airport.
That incident followed another assassination attempt in July 2024, when a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was grazed in the right ear, one supporter was killed, and two others were injured before Secret Service snipers fatally shot the 20-year-old assailant, Thomas Crooks.
Trump returned to the White House Sunday evening.
