JTFMax:

Did the ex-US President stash secret documents about nuclear weapons in his home?

FBI investigators had this grave suspicion when they searched Donald Trump's (76) property in Palm Beach on Monday. The Washington Post reports, citing people familiar with the investigation.

Mar-a-Lago

Accordingly, papers on nuclear weapons are said to have been among the items sought. However, it remained unclear whether they contained information about their nuclear weapons or those of other countries. The ministry also said it suspected Trump of violating the Espionage Act.

One thing is sure: During the raid, the investigators discovered eleven secret documents that Trump stored on the property. Some documents were marked with the highest secrecy class, "Top Secret." It is still unclear whether these included papers on nuclear weapons.

Trump said on his social media platform that the documents were "all declassified" and "safe custody." "You didn't have to 'seize' anything. They could have had it anytime without getting political and breaking into the Mar-a-Lago."

The "Washington Post" quotes experts for so-called classified information, i.e., secret documents. They say the unusual search at the home of an ex-president shows investigators' deep concern about the nature of the missing papers. For example, it would be particularly tricky if the documents fell into the wrong hands.

Experts say that leaking details about US weapons could guide enemy intelligence on defeating the systems. In addition, if other countries' nuclear weapons are at stake, they could see the disclosure of their atomic secrets as a threat.

The New York Times later reported, citing an anonymous source, that the documents related to "some of the most secret programs in the United States" were involved.

Trump dismissed media reports on Friday that the FBI had searched his home for documents related to nuclear weapons during their raid. "The nuclear weapons issue is a hoax," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "The same shoddy people are involved," he said, referring to the two impeachment trials and the Mueller investigation. However, Trump did not provide any evidence for his statements.

So far, the FBI has not officially given a reason for the search for Trump. However, media reports had made it known that it was about documents that Trump had taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after the end of his presidency in January 2021. According to the law, he should have handed over all the documents to the National Archives.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland (69) said Thursday that he "personally approved" the raid. According to the minister, there was a "sufficient reason" for the historically unique action against a former US president.

Garland stressed that his House - the Justice Department and the country's top law enforcement agency - does not take such a decision lightly.

Trump supporters wanted to storm the FBI office with guns – he was shot.

 

Another incident related to the search occurred on Thursday: a gunman tried to storm an FBI office in Ohio.

FBI-Field office 

According to media reports, the suspected terrorist fired a nail gun and displayed a semi-automatic rifle before fleeing in a car. He sped off down the highway and was later shot dead by police.

The New York Times reports that the assassin named Ricky Shiffer (42) is a radical Trump supporter.

Regular police shot Ricky Shiffer

Shiffer posted Truth Social on his social media platform: "If you don't hear from me, I tried to attack the FBI. It means I was removed from the internet, the FBI caught me, or they've sent in the regular police now."

Two days earlier, he had called for an armed uprising - and wrote: "Kill the FBI on sight."

According to Shiffer, he was also involved in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. At the time, Trump supporters, incited by their idol, tried to prevent the election of Joe Biden (79).