Florida (Monitoring Desk) US law enforcement officers fatally shot an armed man who breached the security perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida early Sunday morning, authorities said.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:30am (0630 GMT) at Mar-a-Lago, according to officials.
Trump was in Washington at the time and was not present at the property.
In a statement, the US Secret Service said the suspect, a man in his early 20s, was seen near the north gate of the estate carrying a shotgun and a fuel can.
Agents confronted the individual and ordered him to drop the items.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that officers repeatedly instructed the man to disarm.
“The only words that we said to him was ‘drop the items,’” Bradshaw said.
The suspect reportedly put down the gas can but then raised the shotgun into a firing position.
A sheriff’s deputy and two Secret Service agents opened fire, striking the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No law enforcement personnel were injured during the confrontation.The Secret Service confirmed that no protectees were present at the estate at the time of the incident.
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Trump, who frequently spends weekends at his Florida residence, has faced multiple threats and assassination plots in recent years.
Earlier this month, Ryan Routh, 59, was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course in September 2024, two months before the last US presidential election.
That alleged plot followed an earlier assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, where 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots during a campaign rally.
One bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, and a rally attendee was killed in the attack. Crooks was shot dead by security personnel at the scene, and investigators have said his motive remains unclear.
The latest incident comes amid heightened concerns over political violence in the United States, where tensions have intensified in an increasingly polarised political climate.
Authorities have not yet released further details about the motive of the man involved in Sunday’s breach.