FBI agents shot and killed a man during an early morning raid Wednesday at a home in Provo, Utah, where they were executing warrants.
The agency confirmed to the Washington Examiner that special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants around 6:15 a.m. local time on a man who had allegedly posted threats against President Joe Biden and others, including Biden’s family members, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and former President Barack Obama.
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The incident comes as Biden is set to arrive in Utah on Wednesday afternoon for an overnight stop in Salt Lake City. He is scheduled to visit the Veterans Affairs hospital on the one-year anniversary of the PACT Act, as well as make a fundraising stop in Park City.
“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 to the Washington Examiner.
The man, identified in court documents obtained by the Washington Examiner as Craig Deleeuw Robertson, engaged the FBI in a gunfight, resulting in agents fatally shooting him.
“The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,” the agency said. “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.”
The FBI had filed three counts against Robertson in the request for search and arrest warrants: interstate threats; influencing, impeding, and retaliating federal law enforcement officers by threat; and threats against the president.
The lead FBI agent for the incident, whose name is redacted in the charging documents, said he and another FBI special agent (SA-1) conducted physical surveillance of Robertson’s home in Provo after receiving a tip from the FBI National Threat Operations Center on a “threat to life” in March.
The threat referred to Bragg, calling him a political hack, and detailed a plot to ambush him in a parking garage, according to the charging documents.
“I’ll be waiting in the courthouse parking garage with my suppressed Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm to smoke a radical fool prosecutor that should never have been elected,” Robertson said, according to the charging documents. “I want to stand over Bragg and put a nice hole in his forehead with my 9mm and watch him twitch as a drop of blood oozes from the hole as his life ebbs away to hell!”
The lead agent wrote that while surveying Robertson’s home, they observed Robertson wearing a “Trump” hat, referring to former President Donald Trump.
“When I advised ROBERTSON that we would like to speak with him regarding a comment he had posted on Company-1’s social media platform, ROBERTSON stated, ‘I said it was a dream!’ ROBERTSON then said, ‘We’re done here! Don’t return without a warrant!'” the charging documents said.
The agent wrote that Robertson made several other threats going back to 2022. Most recently, on Monday, Robertson allegedly made a threat, writing, “I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old Ghille suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 Sniper rifle.”
His Facebook page is also filled with threats against Biden, with one calling on Utahans to “SHOOT THEIR GUNS IN THE AIR TO SALUTE THE BUFFOON-IN-CHIEF!!!”
Robertson wrote in September 2022 that the “time is right for a presidential assassination” and wrote “Death to Joe Biden” several times, along with several other threats of violence against the president.
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He also posted several photos with semi-automatic rifles, titling one post “My Democrat Eradicator!!!” and another “Just getting ready for the 2024 election cycle…Only have 9, but trying for an even dozen.”
“Based on my review of those posts by ROBERTSON from that account, I know that ROBERTSON does, in fact, appear to own a sniper rifle and a ghillie suit, has made violent threats to murder public officials, and appears to possess numerous firearms (in addition to what appears to be a long-range sniper rifle),” the charging documents said. “The search also yielded, in part, multiple posts regarding threats, violent acts, firearms, and the possession and use of firearms in furtherance of committing violence against government officials.”
