Arizona authorities have launched an urgent manhunt for a suspect who allegedly threatened to shoot Donald Trump during a trip to the border on Thursday.
Ronald Lee Syrvud, 66, is wanted in connection with an alleged assassination plot planned for the former president’s visit to a vulnerable stretch of the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona.
It comes six weeks after an assassination attempt on Trump’s life saw a bullet hit the former president’s ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Police said Syrvud has several other warrants out for his arrest on separate charges, including for a DUI and failure to appear in court in Wisconsin, and for failure to register as a sex offender and felony hit and run in Arizona.
Ahead of Trump’s speech at the border, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told DailyMail.com authorities have ramped up security ‘based on the threats made’, as he pointed out that the event is ‘in an open venue.’
Syrvud is described as six-feet-tall, 220 pounds, and wearing glasses. His last known address is listed as Benson, Arizona.
The exact nature of the threats is unclear, however Sheriff Dannels told DailyMail.com they were received ‘off social media.’
‘We have zero tolerance for any kind of threats or intents of violence, so we’ll find him. He’ll go to jail,’ Dannels said.
‘He’s a registered sex offender here in Cochise County, and we were looking for him. He’s out of compliance as part of his violations. So we’re looking for him on that.
‘We’re going to arrest him on that. But also the fact his pulse was obviously directed toward this event. So we want to talk to him about that.’
As Dannels added that security was being ramped up ahead of the speech, Secret Service snipers could be seen perched on a crane surveying the area.
The planned attempt on Trump’s life was allegedly intended for his trip to the border in Sierra Vista, in a spot where his campaign has already traveled to.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance toured Sierra Vista three weeks ago, where he highlighted security concerns in the mountainous region and branded it a ‘smuggler’s paradise.’
Arizona officials said they believe Syrvud is at large in the border region, and are urgently attempting to locate him ahead of Trump’s visit.
Ahead of his trip to the area, Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday that he would be addressing ‘the plague of migrant crime that so-called Border Czar, comrade Kamala Harris has unleashed on America.’
