- An armed man illegally entered Mar-a-Lago estate and was shot dead by Secret Service agents
- The individual carried a shotgun and a fuel can and was in his early 20s
- No injuries were reported among Secret Service personnel during the incident
An armed man who illegally entered the premises of US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was shot dead by Secret Service agents. The man carried a shotgun and a fuel can, sources said.
Trump was not there when the incident happened.
US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the incident in a post on X.
"An armed man was shot and killed by US Secret Service agents after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early this morning," Guglielmi said.
The Secret Service in a statement said the incident happened at 1.30 am today. He was in his early 20s.
He was shot by Secret Service agents and a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) following an unauthorised entry into the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago, the statement said.
"The individual, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced deceased. The individual was observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can," the Secret Service said.
No personnel was injured during the encounter, it said.
The incident, including the individual's background, actions, potential motive, and the use of force, is under investigation by the FBI, the US Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
In accordance with agency policy, the involved Secret Service agents will be placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, it said.
Trump, who often spends his weekends in Mar-a-Lago, has been the target of several assassination plots or attempts. Earlier this month, Ryan Routh, 59, who plotted to assassinate the president at a Florida golf course in September 2024, two months before the US election, was sentenced to life in prison.
Routh's planned attack on Trump came two months after an assassination attempt on the Republican leader in Pennsylvania, where 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots during a rally, one of them grazing Trump's right ear.
That attack, in which a rallygoer was killed, proved to be a turning point in Trump's return to power. Crooks was immediately shot and killed by security forces and his motive remains unknown.
The name of the suspect in the Sunday incident has not been released while officials attempt to contact his relatives.
