A Utah man identified as Craig Deleeuw Robertson was fatally shot by FBI agents on Wednesday and previously posted ominous messages on social media, including ones aimed at U.S. President Joe Biden.
The Associated Press reported that FBI agents executed a search warrant in Utah at Robertson's residence when the shooting occurred. According to the Associated Press, Robertson made several social media posts appearing to threaten Biden and showed support for former President Donald Trump.
"The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred around 6:15 a.m. 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," the FBI said in a statement sent to Newsweek. "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. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide."
According to records obtained by Newsweek, Robertson was a registered Republican.
The incident on Wednesday comes after several individuals were arrested in 2022 for making threats to Biden. In 2022, 37-year-old John Andrew Bazor Jr. was arrested by U.S. Secret Service Agents for making threats against Biden, including a message made to the White House over the phone where he said, "I am coming to assassinate the president."
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Newsweek, on Monday, Robertson posted on social media that he was planning to clean "the dust off the m24 sniper rifle," ahead of Biden's scheduled trip to Utah on Wednesday.
"I therefore believe this is knowing and willful true threat to kill or cause injury to President Biden using an M24 sniper rifle while being concealed by a ghillie suit during President Biden's visit to Utah," an FBI agent involved in the investigation wrote in the criminal complaint relating to the post on Monday.
In a post from 2022, Robertson wrote, "The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!!" the criminal complaint said.
The criminal complaint also featured a number of posts from Robertson that showcased an array of different guns and other weapons. In addition to the threats made against Biden, Robertson also allegedly made remarks toward Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the FBI.
"To my friends in Federal Bureau of Idiots: I know you're reading this and you have no idea how close your agents came to 'bang,'" another post included in the complaint said.
Prior to the search warrant and subsequent fatal shooting on Wednesday, Robertson was charged with three felony counts, the complaint showed, including interstate threats, influencing, impeding, and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat and threats against the president.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
