A photo of a hunting stand found near Palm Beach International Airport by Secret Service agents sweeping the area ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival on Friday, Oct. 17.

PALM BEACH, FL – The FBI is leading an investigation into a hunting stand that was found with a direct line of sight of where President Donald Trump exits Air Force One, authorities said.

In an Oct. 19 statement on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said U.S. Secret Service agents "spotted a suspicious stand near the AF1 zone" near Palm Beach International Airport.

The stand was discovered on Friday, Oct. 17, while agents were conducting physical sweeps near the airport ahead of Trump's arrival, said Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. The president spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

"There was no impact to any movements, and no individuals were present or involved at the location," Guglielmi said, adding, "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 discovery of the hunting stand comes about a month after Ryan Routh was convicted of trying to assassinate Trump in September 2024 at the president's golf course in West Palm Beach, not far from the airport.

In July 2024, Trump was injured in the right ear when a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop as he led a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One Trump supporter was killed and two other supporters were injured. A Secret Service agent killed the attacker, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.

For about 24 hours after the stand was spotted, investigators closed all lanes of Southern Boulevard, which parallels the southern border of the airport. The closure was announced by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

Prior to any presidential visit, authorities set up a protective perimeter around a section of the airport where the president and his entourage deplane from Air Force One. Sharpshooters are stationed on a rooftop and a fleet of yellow school buses form a protective barrier. Police set up checkpoints to control entry onto the access road north of Southern Boulevard that leads to several airport facilities.

This story has been updated to add new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI launches probe into hunting stand with sight line of Air Force One, Trump

Reporting by Christopher Cann and John Bisognano, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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