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Utah man suspected of threatening President Joe Biden shot and killed as FBI served warrant

President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright International Guard Base, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Salt Lake City.
Alex Brandon
/
AP
President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One at Roland R. Wright International Guard Base, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Salt Lake City.

A Utah man accused of making threats against President Joe Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities said.

Special agents were trying to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City, when the shooting happened at 6:15 a.m., the FBI said in a statement.

Robertson posted online Monday that he had heard Biden was coming to Utah and he was planning to dig out a camouflage suit and "clean the dust off the m24 sniper rifle," according to court documents.

The complaint in United States District Court against Craig Deleeuw Robertson, featuring threatening online postings by Robertson, is photographed in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Robertson, an armed Utah man accused of making violent threats against President Joe Biden ,was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities say. The shooting happened as special agents tried to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City.
Eric Risberg
/
AP
The complaint in United States District Court against Craig Deleeuw Robertson, featuring threatening online postings by Robertson, is photographed in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Robertson, an armed Utah man accused of making violent threats against President Joe Biden ,was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities say. The shooting happened as special agents tried to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City.

In another post, Robertson refers to himself as a "MAGA Trumper," a reference to former President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

The posts indicated he did appear to own a long-range sniper rifle and numerous other weapons, as well as camouflage gear known as a "ghillie suit," investigators said in court records. Robertson was charged under seal Tuesday with three felony counts, including making threats against the president, court documents show.

Robertson also referenced a "presidential assassination" and made other threats against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James, court documents state.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and his wife Abby Cox greet President Joe Biden after he arrives at Roland R. Wright International Guard Base, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Salt Lake City.
Alex Brandon
/
AP
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and his wife Abby Cox greet President Joe Biden after he arrives at Roland R. Wright International Guard Base, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Salt Lake City.

"The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!!" authorities say Robertson wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post included in the filings. No attorney was immediately listed for Robertson in court documents.

No further details were immediately released about the shooting, which is under review by the FBI.

Biden is in the middle of a trip to the Western United States. He spent Wednesday in New Mexico, where he spoke at a factory that will produce wind towers, and is scheduled to fly to Utah later in the day.

On Thursday, he's expected to visit a Veterans Affairs hospital to talk about the PACT Act, which expanded veterans benefits, and hold a reelection fundraiser.

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By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and SAM METZ | Associated Press

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.