Man killed by FBI in Provo posted threats naming President Biden
Aug 9, 2023, 11:25 AM | Updated: Oct 17, 2023, 9:24 am
PROVO, Utah — A Utah man was shot and killed by FBI agents in Provo this morning after reportedly making numerous threats in posts on social media threatening to kill President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, along with those who are prosecuting former President Trump. This comes on the same day President Biden visits Utah.
Here's what it looks like when @POTUS arrives in SLC.
I saw his head. But they closed the curtain after he arrived.@kslnewsradio pic.twitter.com/XFp1HoOAfM
— Lindsay Aerts (@LindsayOnAir) August 9, 2023
“The incident began when special agents attempted to serve arrest and search warrants at a residence. The subject is deceased. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,” said a representative for the FBI.
Court documents detail Provo man’s threats against president
But according to court documents, Craig D. Robertson of Provo, Utah, had made numerous threatening posts in recent months. The posts threatened to kill federal agents, New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg and those who are prosecuting former President Trump, including Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The posts also appeared to show Robertson possessing up to a dozen weapons.
Court documents also showed the FBI began surveilling Robertson almost a year ago.
An FBI agent attempted to make contact with Robertson on March 19, 2023, about one of his social media posts, to which Robertson allegedly responded: “I said it was a dream! We’re done here! Don’t return without a warrant!”
Read the full complaint against Robertson here
The agent also sought court approval to force social media companies to provide information about Robertson to the FBI.
“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 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),” wrote the agent in a court report. “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. The posts show Robertson’s intent to kill, at a minimum, D.A. Bragg and President Joe Biden.”
Posts for Robertson submitted as evidence in a felony complaint to the U.S. District Court in Utah date back to October 2022.
Related: Submit a tip to the FBI
In multiple posts identified by the investigating agent, Robertson posted photos of a long-range rifle, calling it a “Democrat eradicator”.
Documents show that Robertson was aware of the surveillance the FBI was conducting.
On March 24, 2023, Robertson posted threats against agents looking into him, saying the agents came close to “violent eradication”.
The agent reported Robertson making a post that any FBI agent who approached him would be threatened, with Robertson writing, “Hey FBI, you still monitoring my social media? Checking so I can be sure to have a loaded gun handy in case you drop by again.”
History of posts
Court documents show posts dating back to 2009, showing Robertson in a ghillie suit. Ghillie suits are a type of camouflage clothing used to blend in with a background, which is typically foliage or snow or sand. The FBI agent who was investigating Robertson said this demonstrated his ability to conduct sniper tactics.
“While these postings are somewhat dated, they nevertheless show Robertson has access to a ghillie suit and a long-range rifle,” the agent wrote. “Indeed, Robertson confirmed in his recent threat to kill President Biden from two days ago that he will get out his ‘old ghillie suit’ and ‘dust off” his sniper rifle, thus indicating he has been in possession of these items for some time and is still in possession of these items.”
Neighbors react
Travis Clarke lives around the corner and saw him at church only Sunday.
“I was the executive secretary for five years, so I knew him really well,” said Clarke. “We would sit in the clerk’s office and he was just a great, big teddy bear of a guy.”
Robertson was the financial clerk for the Pioneer Second Ward in Provo. Clarke worked closely with him for a number of years.
“I just can’t believe this. I just can’t believe this happened,” Clark said.”It seems like a complete tragedy. I can’t believe anybody who knew Craig would have thought he was, in any way, a danger or a menace. I just can’t believe it.”
What’s happening now
The circumstances of the raid are still emerging. The FBI’s Investigation Division is currently investigating.
KSL NewsRadio's Allessandra Harris and Hugo Rikard-Bell are on the scene in Provo where an FBI agent shot and killed a man while serving a warrant this morning.
Learn more: https://t.co/S2cDHr6DJL
📸Allessandra Harris/KSL NewsRadio pic.twitter.com/yAMxKQnIi6— KSL NewsRadio (@kslnewsradio) August 9, 2023
The FBI confirmed the shooting through a spokeswoman, in the area of 500 North and 1200 West and said it was serving a warrant.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
