FBI Probes Hunting Stand Found Overlooking Trump’s Air Force One Landing Zone

FILE - A secret service agent, July 20, 2022, in New York. Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden's granddaughter have opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle in Washington. That's according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on Monday. It happened Sunday night in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

The FBI has launched an investigation after the U.S. Secret Service discovered a suspicious hunting stand positioned within direct view of the Air Force One landing zone used by President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, officials confirmed Sunday.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the structure was found prior to Trump’s return to West Palm Beach. “Before the president’s arrival, the U.S. Secret Service 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,” Patel said, adding that the FBI has “flown in resources to collect all evidence from the scene” and is using “cell phone analytics capabilities” to identify possible links to the installation. The stand has not yet been tied to any individual.

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the agency is “working closely” with the FBI and local law enforcement in Palm Beach County. “There was no impact to any movements and no individuals were present or involved at the location,” Guglielmi said. He added that while officials could not disclose details about the items recovered, the incident “underscores the importance of our layered security measures.”

A law enforcement source told reporters the stand appeared to have been placed “months ago.”

The potential oversight comes less than a month after Ryan Routh was convicted on all counts for attempting to assassinate Trump during a round of golf in September 2024 at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Routh, who was caught with a rifle near the property’s fence, stabbed himself in the neck with a pen in court after the guilty verdict was read.

That incident followed a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s ear before being shot by police. Both cases raised concerns about resource allocation and security preparedness surrounding the president’s movements.

The FBI and Secret Service have not said whether the newly discovered structure is believed to pose a threat or to be connected to any previous incidents. Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago this weekend, where he is expected to remain through Monday.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)