Politics
JUST IN: FBI Announces New Details On ‘Hunting Stand’ With Sight Line To Trump
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced on Monday that the bureau has launched a full-blown investigation into a mysterious hunting stand discovered with a direct sight line to Air Force One.
“This hunting stand was appropriately dismantled; it’s being flown to our lab — I believe it’s there right now. And all the forensic tools we have, from digital tools to biometric tools, they are all going to be applied to try to find out who put this up here and why,” Bongino told Fox & Friends.
Referring to assassination attempts against President Donald Trump and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Fox host Lawrence Jones pointed out the growing threat of long-distance shooters.
“Mr. Deputy Director, big picture here… snipers have become a problem,” Jones said to Bongino.
Bongino’s response hinted at a shift in strategy within the Secret Service and FBI amid the rise in sniper attacks on political figures.
WATCH:
Agents discovered the stand on Thursday, and the FBI is currently overseeing the investigation, FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News. Patel further told the outlet that the stand has not yet been connected to an 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.
“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.”
USSS chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi also confirmed that the organization is “working closely” with the FBI as well as law enforcement agencies in Palm Beach County.
He added that agents discovered the hunting stand during their “advance security preparations” prior to Trump’s arrival in Palm Beach, where his Mar-A-Lago estate sits. “There was no impact to any movements and no individuals were present or involved at the location,” Guglielmi told Fox News.
“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 added.
A law enforcement source told the outlet that the stand could have been set up “months ago.”
The investigation comes just weeks after Ryan Routh, 59, was convicted of trying to assassinate Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course. Routh set up a hunting stand as part of his sniper’s nest along a fence and some bushes on the outskirts of the property.
Routh was then engaged by a Secret Service agent before fleeing the area. He was captured a few hours later in nearby Martin County.
