The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation following the discovery of a hunting stand positioned within the sight line of Air Force One. This discovery was made last Friday, ahead of former President Donald Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

Kash Patel, the FBI Director, informed Nexstar’s NewsNation—The Hill’s sister company—that the Secret Service initially identified the elevated hunting stand. This occurred during their security sweep before Trump’s arrival, and it was noted to be within view of the Air Force One landing zone.

“No individuals were located at the scene,” Patel stated. He went on to detail that the FBI has assumed control of the investigation, deploying resources to the site to gather evidence and utilizing advanced cell phone analytics to aid their inquiry.

Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications for the Secret Service, confirmed the agency’s collaboration with the FBI and local law enforcement in Palm Beach County. He emphasized that the FBI is spearheading the investigation.

“In preparation for the Palm Beach arrival, which involved both technological and thorough physical security checks, our teams pinpointed items of interest near the airport,” Guglielmi remarked. He assured that these findings did not disrupt any scheduled movements and reiterated that no individuals were found at the location.

A photo taken by the Secret Service and provided to The Hill shows the stand, supported by green ropes, located in a tree. 

Courtesy of the U.S. Secret Service

The president departed Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at roughly 4:45 p.m. EDT on Friday and arrived at Palm Beach International Airport at around 6:25 p.m. He spent the weekend at his  Mar-a-Lago club and was scheduled to return to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon.

Last month, a man was charged with pointing a laser beam at Marine One, the president’s helicopter, while he was on board. 

One day later, a Florida jury also found a man guilty of plotting to assassinate the president while he was at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach last September. The man, 59-year-old Ryan Routh, faces up to life in prison.