The shooting occurred as special agents were to conduct a search warrant at the man’s home in the city of Provo, south of Salt Lake City, according to a statement from the FBI. Two police sources told AP that the man must have been armed, but this information has not been commented on by the FBI, which is now investigating the incident further.
In the suspicious posts that the man published on social media on Monday, it appeared, among other things, that he knew Biden was coming to Utah and that he owned a sniper rifle and several other weapons.
The man is also said to have expressed threats against Biden in the past and in a post last year he is said to have written that “the time has come for a presidential assassination or two”, according to court documents. Threats are said to have also been directed against, among others, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, responsible for one of the lawsuits against ex-president Donald Trump.
Joe Biden is touring the western United States and is expected to arrive in Utah later Wednesday evening, local time.