The United States Secret Service discovered a suspicious hunting stand positioned with a direct line of sight to the location where President Donald Trump exits Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport.
Federal officials confirmed the finding to Fox News Digital.
Secret Service agents located the stand on Thursday during routine security preparations.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has assumed the lead role in investigating the discovery.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that investigators have not yet linked the hunting stand to any specific individual.
The agency is deploying significant resources to examine the scene and gather evidence.
“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 said.
He confirmed that no individuals were found at the location when agents made the discovery.
The FBI has mobilized specialized teams to handle the investigation.
“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,” Patel explained.
Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications, verified that his organization is collaborating closely with both the FBI and Palm Beach County law enforcement agencies.
He noted that the hunting stand was found during advance security preparations before the President’s scheduled arrival.
“There was no impact to any movements, and no individuals were present or involved at the location,” Guglielmi stated.
The discovery did not result in any changes to Trump’s travel schedule or security protocols.
Guglielmi emphasized the significance of the Secret Service’s preventative security measures.
“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 law enforcement source provided additional information to Fox News Digital regarding the timeline of the stand’s placement. According to this source, the hunting stand appeared to have been established at the location months ago.
The discovery occurs in the context of recent security concerns surrounding the president.
Weeks before this incident, Ryan Routh was convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump at a Palm Beach golf course.
Routh constructed a sniper’s nest in bushes along a fence line at the golf course.
He was found guilty on the assassination attempt charge following the incident.
The 59-year-old Routh faced five federal criminal counts in connection with the golf course incident.
These charges included attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer.
Additional firearms offenses were also among the charges brought against Routh.
His conviction came after federal prosecutors presented evidence of his planned attack on the President.
The golf course incident was not the first security threat Trump faced.
A separate assassination attempt occurred during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
During the Butler rally, Trump sustained an injury when he was shot in the ear. That incident also prompted intensive federal investigation and heightened security measures for the then-presidential candidate and now-sitting president.
