An armed man has been shot dead after entering the secure perimeter of US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the Secret Service has said.
The man was carrying a shotgun and fuel can when he was stopped and shot by Secret Service agents and a Sheriff’s deputy, authorities said.
The incident happened around 01:30 AM (06:30 GMT) on Sunday morning, when the president was in Washington DC.
Trump was in Washington, DC, and not Mar-a-Lago, when the incident took place.
No other individuals under Secret Service protection were present, Guglielmi said.
Authorities identified the slain man as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin from North Carolina.
His family in North Carolina had reported him missing in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to the BBC.
He was believed to have bought his shotgun while driving south, Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.
Investigators have not yet identified a motive.
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The man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
The man put down the gas can and raised the shotgun “to a shooting position”, prompting law enforcement to open fire, Bradshaw said.
Martin was a recent high school graduate who is believed to have driven down to Florida from his home in North Carolina on Saturday afternoon, obtaining the weapon en route.
The New York Times reported that last year he set up his own company, Fresh Sky Illustrations, trading in original drawings of golf courses that were sold through golf course gift shops and on commission.
TMZ reported that Martin had grown increasingly obsessed with Epstein – a former friend of Trump and many other powerful people – after the recent release of files connected to the prosecution of the sex offender and disgraced financier. The website said that it had obtained a text message that he sent to a co-worker earlier in February.
According to TMZ, the text said: “I don’t know if you read up on the Epstein Files, but evil is real and unmistakable … Tell other people about what you hear about the Epstein files and what the government is doing about it. Raise awareness.”
Speaking on the incident, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the Secret Service “acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home”.
The FBI appealed to nearby residents to go through their security footage for any material that could aid the investigation. The agency’s director, Kash Patel, said the bureau is “dedicating all necessary resources” to the probe.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early on Sunday morning.
On Sunday afternoon, vehicles were seen blocking the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for the suspect, Martin, at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.
Braeden Fields, Martin’s 19-year-old cousin, reacted with disbelief.
He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.
“He’s a good kid,” Fields told The Associated Press news agency. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.
He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.
“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.
He said his cousin did not discuss politics.
“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything”.
Trump has faced several assassination plots or attempts in recent years.
Sunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.
A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.
Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.
Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the attacker.