The US Secret Service uncovered a suspicious elevated hunting stand with a direct line of sight to the area where President Donald Trump exits Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, officials confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The structure was discovered on Thursday during advance security preparations ahead of the President’s return to West Palm Beach. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi stated, “There was no impact to any movements, and no individuals were present or involved at the location.”
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the hunting 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 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.”
Guglielmi added that the Secret Service is “working closely” with the FBI and Palm Beach County law enforcement. “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 told Fox News Digital that the stand appeared to have been erected “months ago.”
The discovery comes just weeks after Ryan Routh, 59, was found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump during the 2024 presidential election campaign.
Authorities said that Routh camped for hours outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course, armed with a rifle that he aimed through a chain-link fence, targeting the next hole where Trump was headed in September of last year.
Routh was convicted on five federal charges, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms violations.
That incident followed an earlier attempt in which Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.