Secret Service finds ‘suspicious’ hunting stand near Air Force One landing zone in Florida

By Lauren Chadwick, Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — The US Secret Service found a “suspicious” hunting stand within sight of the Air Force One landing zone ahead of the president’s arrival in Florida over the weekend, FBI Director Kash Patel said, adding no one was at the stand.

“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,” the FBI director told Fox News Digital, later confirming on social media that “the FBI is investigating” what Patel called a “suspicious stand” near the zone.

One senior law enforcement official told CNN the hunting stand was found across from the airport. Based on the condition of the stand, the source said, it had been there for some time.

Hunters regularly set up and leave stands like the one found by law enforcement to use again. These stands are often used by bow hunters – especially in dense, wooded areas – and can be used by individuals hunting with firearms as well.

There is nothing to currently indicate the stand was built to target the president, the source said.

The US Secret Service confirmed that teams identified “items of interest” near Palm Beach International Airport during advance security preparations ahead of President Donald Trump’s arrival.

“During advance security preparations prior to the Palm Beach arrival, which included the use of technology and comprehensive physical sweeps, our teams identified items of interest near Palm Beach International Airport,” Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications, said in the statement.

“There was no impact to any movements and no individuals were present or involved at the location. 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. The FBI is leading the investigation and we would refer any additional comment to them.”

The FBI and Secret Service provided no additional details related to the incident.

The announcement from Patel and the Secret Service comes after Trump was targeted by two assassination attempts during his second campaign for president.

Just last month, Ryan Routh – who was accused of attempting to kill Trump as he played a round of golf on his Florida course last year – was found guilty on all charges against him.

The president was also injured during an assassination attempt in July 2024 at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The Secret Service later said the attempt on Trump’s life represented an “operational failure” with multiple reports finding “breakdowns in communication, technological issues, and human failure, among other contributing factors.”

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