Federal officials recently discovered a “suspicious stand” at Palm Beach International Airport, where Air Force One lands when former President Trump visits. FBI Director Kash Patel shared this information on social media.
The U.S. Secret Service found “items of interest” while checking the area before Trump’s arrival last Friday. They haven’t specified what the items are, but they shared a photo showing what looked like a hunting platform high in a tree.
According to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, no one was present near the stand, and it didn’t affect any airport operations. Sources told CBS News that the stand, located over 200 yards away behind a highway, appeared to have been there for months. Trump hadn’t used that part of the airport recently due to construction, meaning there wasn’t a direct sightline to him.
Once construction was completed, Air Force One resumed using that area, and the stand was quickly found during the Secret Service’s checks.
While it remains uncertain when construction ended, Trump arrived at the airport on Friday and planned to return to Washington after a weekend at his Mar-A-Lago club. Notably, the airport is less than a mile from Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, where an assassination attempt occurred last year. Ryan Routh, who was convicted for the plot, reportedly aimed a rifle from the golf club’s tree line, prompting the Secret Service to return fire.
This incident is one of several security breaches involving Trump. Just two months prior, he survived another assassination attempt when a bullet grazed his ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. These events have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the Secret Service, leading to the suspension of several agents earlier this year.
Recent statistics suggest that security threats against high-profile figures have increased. According to a 2022 report by the U.S. Capitol Police, threats against Congress members surged by 144% in just a year. As tensions rise, the importance of thorough security measures becomes more critical.
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