Was the “Sniper’s Nest” a 3rd Assassination Attempt?

Rana Sarkar of The Economic Times reports that the U.S. Secret Service discovered an elevated hunting stand with a direct line of sight to the spot where President Donald Trump exits Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport. 

The discovery came during a routine advance sweep ahead of Trump’s weekend arrival in West Palm Beach.

According to Sarkar, officials say the stand appeared to have been set up “months ago,” which is chilling if true. It implies planning, patience, and a working knowledge of the president’s movements – even amid airport construction that forced Air Force One to use that particular area.

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, cited by Sarkar, emphasized that there was no impact to presidential movements and no individuals found at the location. 

That’s the good news – no immediate threat, no active shooter, no dramatic takedown. The bad news is that a perch existed at all.

What the FBI Says It’s Doing Now

Sarkar further notes that the FBI opened an investigation, with FBI Director Kash Patel confirming the bureau’s lead role. 

Sarkar’s piece (citing Fox News Digital and Axios) frames the discovery as part of “advanced security preparations,” the kind of boring-but-crucial work that prevents tragedy.

On his Facts Matter channel, Roman Balmakov goes a step further by showing photos of what he describes as an elevated platform nestled in a tree – “not unlike something you might use for hunting elk.” As Balmakov dryly adds, there are no elk in West Palm Beach.

Balmakov quotes Patel saying the FBI has “flown in resources” and is deploying cell phone analytics along with forensic testing. He also cites FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino describing how the stand was dismantled and shipped to an FBI lab for biometrics and digital forensics. 

That’s standard procedure – dust for prints, swab for DNA, and pull pings to triangulate who was there and when.

No suspects have been named publicly, per both Sarkar and Balmakov. That’s either a sign of careful case-building or a clue that the trail is thin. It’s too early to tell.

Pattern or Coincidence?

Sarkar situates this discovery within a disturbing pattern. She reminds readers of Ryan Routh, recently convicted for attempting to assassinate Trump on a Palm Beach golf course. 

Prosecutors said Routh created a “sniper’s nest” in thick bushes near a fence line, lay in wait for hours, and aimed an SKS-style rifle at the sixth green before a Secret Service agent forced him to flee.

Balmakov revisits those details as well – body-armor plates in duffels, a small camera trained on the course, and a daylong surveillance-and-ambush posture. He puts the airport perch in context: not proof of a plot by itself, but eerie rhyme with tactics used in the golf course case.

Both sources also look back to Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was shot in the ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks during a rally in July 2024. That incident was chaotic and public; the Palm Beach events have been quiet and concealed. Different settings, similar intent.

Is the airport stand a third attempt? Sarkar is careful: authorities haven’t said that. Balmakov calls it a “potential assassination attempt,” with caveats that the FBI is still gathering evidence. 

My take: intent is always the hardest element to prove, but means and opportunity were uncomfortably present.

The Construction Curveball

One subtle point in Sarkar’s report deserves attention: Air Force One doesn’t usually park at the spot that the stand overlooked. Ongoing construction and past usage meant it would park there this time. That matters.

If the platform truly sat there “months,” then either the builder gambled correctly on a future parking pattern – or didn’t care which VIP target passed through that sightline. 

It also raises a procedural question: how many off-airport sightlines does the Secret Service now need to harden while construction shifts the geometry of risk?

Balmakov notes that the Secret Service adjusted security around the airport after the discovery but, understandably, didn’t share details. 

That’s common: when the geometry changes, routes change, screens expand, and temporary no-fly/no-loiter zones can widen. The public rarely hears the specifics.

Why a “Hunting Stand” Matters

Balmakov’s photos and description suggest a DIY elevated rest – primitive, yes, but tactically useful. Any hunter – or marksman – knows a stable elevated position increases visibility and accuracy while reducing exposure. It is a force multiplier.

Sarkar’s framing is similar. By placing the stand within line of sight to the president’s disembark spot, the stand’s location becomes the story. 

Even if no weapon is found, a pre-positioned perch near a predictable, vulnerable moment – the walk from aircraft door to vehicle – is the kind of detail security teams lose sleep over.

To be fair, a stand could be some fool’s stunt. But the months-long timeline and the specific sightline argue against “random.” When targets are predictable, adversaries plan geometry, not politics.

The Lingering Lessons From the Golf Course

Sarkar highlights the Routh conviction to show how a patient shooter can beat randomness. Routh allegedly waited nearly 10 hours, concealed, with equipment and optics. That’s not impulsive rage. That’s tradecraft at amateur scale.

Balmakov uses the golf-course facts to underscore why the airport perch is not trivial. Where there’s an unobstructed view and a solid rest, time-on-target becomes a more solvable problem. Add a busy, noisy environment – jet engines, tugs, motorcade movements – and a shooter can mask setup and exfiltration.

This is exactly why Secret Service advances are obsessive about high ground, long alleys, and cross-angles. The hunting platform short-circuits all of that by creating high ground where none existed.

My Read On Risk, Motive, and Messaging

Here’s my view, having tracked similar security stories for years: this looks less like “hunting cosplay” and more like pre-positioning. 

The “months” timeline, reported by Sarkar, is the tell. People don’t build tree perches on a whim near a presidential air corridor and then forget them.

Balmakov’s note that no suspects have been named yet is important. It means no victory lap for law enforcement – but it doesn’t absolve the risk. The stand existed. It had purposeful geometry.

I also think Sarkar’s detail about construction-driven parking cuts both ways. If someone anticipated the parking shift, that implies surveillance on airport ops. If they didn’t, it suggests a broader intent – to exploit any moment when a protectee might use that zone.

Either way, it validates the FBI’s full-spectrum forensics: DNA, prints, camera canvasses, license plate reads, and cell-site analysis. Someone carried lumber or gear, at some time, and likely left traces.

Is This the “Third Attempt”?

Sarkar characterizes it as a suspicious stand with an FBI probe – not a confirmed attempt. Balmakov frames it as a potential third assassination attempt, connecting it to the Routh case and the Butler shooting.

My take splits the difference. Attempt implies intent, and intent requires evidence. But preparation is its own kind of crime scene. A stand like this at this location is not innocent.

So here’s a careful conclusion: was it functionally a sniper’s nest with the president in its window? Yes. Do we have enough to declare it the third attempt? Not yet. The FBI’s forensics and analytics will determine whether the perch was operational or aspirational.

What Should Change Now

Sarkar notes that the Secret Service has already tightened security around Palm Beach International. Expect more aggressive sightline control, expanded perimeter standoff, and temporary structures to break long views. Expect more overwatch and K9 sweeps beyond the usual fence lines.

Balmakov’s reporting on the photos underscores the need for routine tree- and rooftop audits – not just near rally venues, but near arrival points, motorcade hop-ins, and resort access roads. The “sniper’s nest” isn’t a myth; it’s a known problem set that demands constant, boring, disciplined work.

Finally, the pattern matters. As Sarkar recounts – Butler, the golf course, and now the airport perch – America is living through a period where high-profile targets are tested, probed, and sometimes hit. That’s the reality. Pretending otherwise is reckless.

Rana Sarkar’s reporting lays out fact patterns: a stand existed; it had line of sight; the FBI is on it; and no one has been caught – yet. Roman Balmakov adds imagery, quotes, and context, showing why a simple platform can become a tactical advantage at the worst possible moment.

Was this the third assassination attempt? The fairest answer is “potentially.” It looks like a nest. It points where it shouldn’t. It sits inside an unmistakable trend line.

Until the FBI matches biometrics to behavior, the label is pending. But the lesson is already here: when an elevated perch stares directly at a presidential exit, you treat it as if someone meant exactly what the geometry implies.

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