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The incident in Florida took place on Sunday when US President Donald Trump was in Washington, DC.
Published On 22 Feb 2026
The United States Secret Service says its agents have shot and killed a man who attempted to break into a secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The man, in his 20s, appeared to be armed with a shotgun and fuel can, according to the Secret Service’s communications chief Anthony Guglielmi. He was shot at about 1:30am Sunday morning (06:30 GMT).
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Trump was in Washington, DC, not Mar-a-Lago, when the incident took place. No other individuals under Secret Service protection were present, said the agency.
Guglielmi said Secret Service agents and a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confronted the armed individual, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, after he approached Mar-a-Lago’s north gate. The individual was pronounced dead after being shot by law enforcement officials.
In comments cited by the Associated Press news agency, Guglielmi said the suspect is from North Carolina and was reported missing a few days ago by his family. He added that investigators believe he left the state heading south, picking up a shotgun along the way.
“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,” said Guglielmi.
Trump has faced several assassination plots or attempts in recent years.
Earlier this month, Ryan Routh, 59, who plotted to assassinate the president at a Florida golf course in September 2024, was sentenced to life in prison.
Routh’s planned attack on Trump came two months after 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots, one grazing Trump’s ear, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
That attack, in which a rally-goer was killed, proved to be a turning point in Trump’s return to power.
