Photo: Alamy
The U.S. Secret Service discovered a suspicious hunting stand with a direct line of sight to where President Donald Trump departs Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, prompting an FBI investigation, officials said.
Agents found the structure on Thursday during a security sweep ahead of Trump’s return to Florida. FBI Director Kash Patel said the stand has not yet been linked 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.”
Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the agency is “working closely” with the FBI and local law enforcement in Palm Beach County.
Photos released by the Secret Service show the stand positioned in a tree near the airport. Guglielmi said agents located it during “advance security preparations” before Trump’s arrival.
“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,” Guglielmi added.
The discovery comes just weeks after Ryan Routh was convicted of attempting to assassinate President Trump by setting up a sniper’s nest in bushes along a fence line at a Palm Beach golf course. During that trial, an agent testified that Routh aimed a rifle at him. After being found guilty, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen in court.
Routh, 59, was convicted on five federal counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms charges.
That case followed another assassination attempt in July 2024, when Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI has not announced any suspects or motive in the latest incident near the airport. The investigation is ongoing.
