Authorities in Arizona have launched an urgent manhunt for a suspect who allegedly threatened to shoot former President Donald Trump during a visit to the border on Thursday.
Ronald Lee Syrvud, 66, is wanted in connection with an alleged assassination plot that was planned before Trump’s visit to a sensitive part of the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona.
It came six weeks after Trump was assassinated at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, with a bullet shot through his ear.
Police said additional warrants have been issued for Syrvud’s arrest on separate charges, including driving under the influence and failing to appear in court in Wisconsin, and failing to register as a sex offender and committing a hit-and-run after a felony in Arizona.
Ronald Lee Syrvud, 66, is wanted by Arizona authorities in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump
It comes six weeks after an assassination attempt on Trump resulted in a bullet grazing the former president’s ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
The planned attack on Trump’s life was reportedly timed before his trip to the Sierra Vista border, a location his campaign has already visited.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance visited Sierra Vista three weeks ago, where he highlighted security problems in the mountainous region, calling it a “smuggler’s paradise.”
Arizona officials believe Syrvud is at large in the border region and are urgently trying to locate him in preparation for Trump’s visit.
Syrvud is described as six feet tall, 220 pounds, and wears glasses. His last known address is listed as Benson, Arizona.
Ahead of his trip to the region, Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday that he would tackle “the plague of migrant crime that our so-called border czar, Comrade Kamala Harris, has unleashed upon America.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment. It is not yet clear whether the campaign plans to cancel or postpone the trip to the border.
The alleged plot is said to be taking place in Sierra Vista, Arizona, where Trump’s running mate JD Vance toured just three weeks ago (pictured during the trip).
During the trip to the border, Vance highlighted security concerns surrounding the area where the alleged plot against Trump was planned, calling the region a “smuggler’s paradise.”
When Vance visited Sierra Vista three weeks ago, he criticized Vice President Kamala Harris as a “failed border czar” and blamed her for the migrant crisis.
The Ohio senator also highlighted security concerns in the “smuggler’s paradise” where the alleged plot against Trump was hatched.
The area has a number of security risks, as it is largely mountainous and the terrain is dangerous, allowing smugglers and drug traffickers to remain undetected from various vantage points.
“It’s unbelievable what we’re allowing to happen at the southern border, and it’s because Kamala Harris refuses to do her job,” Vance said at the time.