An unidentified man gained unauthorized access to the secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, carrying a shotgun and a gas can. He was shot and killed by law enforcement after raising the gun into a firing position. File Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 22 (UPI) — The U.S. Secret Service early Sunday morning shot a man who was trying to access President Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago resort while appearing to carry a shotgun and a gas can.
The individual, a man in his early 20s, attempted to access the property from its north gate and entered the secure perimeter before he was shot and killed, the Secret Service said in a post on X.
Although Trump often spends the weekend at his West Palm Beach, Florida, resort, he is in Washington, D.C., this weekend and, according to officials, no other protectees were at the property, either.
“U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy confronted the individual and shots were fired by law enforcement during the encounter,” Anthony Guglielmi, communications chief for the Secret Service, said in the post.
Guglielmi said the man was observed around 1:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday morning making his way into the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago
Agents and PBSO encountered the man, carrying the shotgun and gas can, and ordered him to put down the gun and can.
He put the can down, but then raised the shotgun into a “firing position,” at which time the agents and deputy opened fire at the man, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference on Sunday morning.
The identity of the man is being withheld until his family is notified, and is also being held back during an investigation of the incident.
The Secret Service said that no law enforcement personnel were injured in the incident and that during the investigation the two federal agents have been placed on routine administrative leave.
Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne attend the BAFTA Film Awards Nominees Party at the National Gallery in London, England, on February 21, 2026. Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI | License Photo
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An F-35C Joint Strike Fighter flying from the supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln has shot down an Iranian drone said to have “aggressively approached” the ship. Separately, American officials say that small boats and a drone belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) harassed a U.S.-flagged merchant ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. All of this comes amid a major ongoing U.S. military build-up in the region aimed squarely at Iran, as well as reports that American officials could be set to meet with their Iranian counterparts later in the week.
Reuters was first to report on the F-35C downing the Iranian drone, which was reportedly a Shahed-139. The Shahed-139 is a design roughly in the same class as the U.S. MQ-1 Predator, which could potentially carry small munitions. The Nimitz class USS Abraham Lincoln and elements of its strike group arrived in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility last month after being ordered to head to the region from the Pacific.
The USS Abraham Lincoln seen sailing the South China Sea in December 2025. USN
“An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board. No American service members were harmed during the incident, and no U.S. equipment was damaged,” U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said in a statement to TWZ. “The unmanned aircraft aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent.”
“USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) was transiting the Arabian Sea approximately 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast when an Iranian Shahed-139 drone unnecessarily maneuvered toward the ship,” Hawkins added. “The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters.”
U.S. Marines also notably used a counter-drone vehicle lashed to the deck of the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Boxerto knock down an Iranian drone as the ship transited the Strait of Hormuz back in 2019. In that instance, the uncrewed aircraft was described as having come within a “threatening range” of the Boxer.
As a general aside, drones inherently present a lower risk of escalation because there is no danger of crew on board being harmed. This also has impacts on the risk calculus for employing uncrewed aerial systems more provocatively, as well as shooting them down.
“During a separate incident hours later in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed merchant vessel lawfully transiting the international sea passage. Two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins, the CENTCOM spokesperson, also said in his statement to TWZ. “Guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) was operating in the area and immediately responded to the scene to escort M/V Stena Imperative with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force.”
A stock picture of the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS McFaul. USN
“The situation de-escalated as a result, and the U.S.-flagged tanker is proceeding safely. CENTCOM forces are operating at the highest levels of professionalism and ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel, ships, and aircraft in the Middle East,” Hawkins added. “Continued Iranian harassment and threats in international waters and airspace will not be tolerated. Iran’s unnecessary aggression near U.S. forces, regional partners and commercial vessels increases risks of collision, miscalculation, and regional destabilization.”
The Joint Maritime Information Center of the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office has also issued a notice regarding what appears to be the same incident, which also does not name the ship that was harassed. Iran has a long history of harassing (and even seizing) foreign commercial and naval vessels in and around the Persian Gulf, especially at times of increased geopolitical friction with the United States.
As already noted, this all comes as U.S. military forces continue to flow into the Middle East. There have been reports for weeks now about the prospect of new American strikes on Iran, at least in part in retaliation for the country’s violent crackdown on recent nationwide protests. More recently, U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced interest in reaching some kind of deal with authorities in Iran, including over the future of that country’s nuclear program. There are reports that U.S. and Iranian officials could meet as soon as Friday in Turkey.
“We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones — the biggest and the best — and we have talks going on with Iran and we’ll see how it all works out,” Trump said just yesterday while speaking to members of the press at the White House. “If we can work something out, that would be great and if we can’t, probably bad things would happen.”
How today’s events will impact U.S. decision-making going forward remains to be seen.
Update: 2:52 PM Eastern –
Despite the incident, Trump still prefers a diplomatic solution to the tensions with Iran, according to the White House.
Trump “remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. “But in order for diplomacy to work, of course, it takes two to tango. You need a willing partner to engage. And so that’s something the president and Special Envoy Witkoff are exploring and discussing right now.”
Witkoff, she added, “is set to have conversations with the Iranians later this week. Those are still scheduled as of right now, but of course, the president has always a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force. The Iranians know that better than anyone. Just look no further than the highly successful Operation Midnight Hammer, which took not just Iran but the entire world by surprise and completely obliterated their nuclear capabilities earlier last year.”
Speaking earlier on Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms the shoot down of an Iranian drone that was “acting aggressively” towards the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) today over the Arabian Sea, though states that President Trump remains committed to… pic.twitter.com/sVPzPjZIy8
“The Shahed 129 drone was on its usual and legal mission in international waters, engaged in reconnaissance, monitoring, and filming, which is considered a normal and lawful action,” Tasnim posited. “This drone successfully sent its reconnaissance and identification images to the center but then lost communication. However, the reason for this communication loss is being investigated, and details will be provided once confirmed.”
The War Zone cannot independently verify Tasnim’s claims.
Iranian state media says the drone (that the US shot down) successfully carried out its reconnaissance mission before it abruptly “lost contact”
VICTORIA and Nicola clashed again this week – but for once it wasn’t with each other.
The pair released brand new modelling shoots on exactly the same day as they made a bid to put Brooklyn’s statement behind them.
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Victoria Beckham and Nicola Peltz clashed again this week – but for once it wasn’t with each otherCredit: GennyThe pair clashed at Paris Fashion Week, where Victoria launched her debut eyewear range on the same day that Nicola was showcasing her role with fashion brand GennyCredit: Victoria Beckham Eyewear/Mert and Marcus
As well as a pink trouser suit, Nicola wore a number of elaborate, colourful gowns for the brand.
Victoria meanwhile launched her debut eyewear range on the same day.
She posed up in a pair of her own frames and said: “I wanted strong, instantly recognisable silhouettes that felt effortless to wear, so the focus for this collection was really on refining shape and proportion.”
