A guy who had vowed to shoot President Joe Biden was shot dead when FBI officers invaded his home in Utah. The FBI arrived at Craig Robertson’s house at 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday (Aug. 8) to serve arrest and search warrants for his home in Provo, a city south of Salt Lake City. Biden is set to arrive in Utah late Wednesday. The officers conducting the investigation stated that Robertson, who is thought to be in his 70s and a staunch fan of Donald Trump, possessed “a sniper rifle” and many other weapons.
Robertson was arrested on three counts, including threatening the president and influencing, obstructing, and retaliating against federal law enforcement authorities with threats. According to court filings, Robertson mentioned “presidential assassination” in a Facebook post and threatened a prosecutor who was investigating Donald Trump for criminal charges. According to court filings, his most recent Facebook post was on Monday (Aug 7), when he said he learned Biden was coming to Utah and that he planned to pull out a camouflage outfit and “clean the dust off the m24 sniper rifle.”
The shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division
Robertson referred to himself as a “MAGA Trumper” in another tweet, a reference to former US President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. In addition, Robertson threatened Vice President Kamala Harris and US Attorney General Merrick Garland. “The time is right for a presidential assassination or two,” one message stated. “First it was Joe, then it was Kamala!!!” According to CNN, Biden was briefed on the situation on Wednesday in New Mexico, where he delivered remarks on manufacturing before departing for Salt Lake City. “The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred around 6:15 am on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, in Provo, Utah. The incident began when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence. The subject is deceased,” an FBI spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
However, the statement fails to mention how did the events lead up to the shooting and the eventual demise of Roberston. The FBI spokesperson continued, “The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division.” The FBI agents had earlier visited Roberston in March to enquire about a social media post, investigators wrote in an affidavit. Robertson would not speak to the agents, saying, “I said it was a dream!” and “We’re done here! Don’t return without a warrant,” it said.