Video exposes tense moments prior to deadly FBI raid on man accused of threatening Biden

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Harrowing video shows FBI standoff with Utah man accused of threatening Biden

Neighbors witnessed the raid and recorded portions on cellphone video. (Fox News Digital) 

Harrowing video shows the moments before and after a deadly FBI raid in Provo, Utah, on the home of Craig Robertson, a 74-year-old woodworker accused of making death threats against President Biden and other high-profile Democrats.

Days before the president was set to visit the state, Robertson wrote an ominous Facebook post, according to the FBI.

“I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old ghille suit and cleaning the dust off the m24 sniper rifle. welcom, buffoon-in-chief!”

He had access to the suit and rifle he mentioned, according to a federal court filing. FBI agents arrived at his home Wednesday morning to serve arrest and search warrants.

WHO WAS CRAIG ROBERTSON? UTAH MAN KILLED BY FBI AGENTS AFTER ALLEGEDLY MAKING THREATS AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

Images show the aftermath of an FBI raid in Utah on the home of Craig Robertson, a 74-year-old Provo man accused of making death threats against President Biden. (Fox News Digital )

A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that Robertson was holding a weapon. After a standoff, agents opened fire, killing him around 6:14 a.m., Fox News reported Wednesday.

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Robertson is accused of making numerous violent threats in court documents and was first reported to the FBI in March for a threat against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

His prior criminal history appears to be relatively minor. Records shows he pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge in Utah County in 1998. Neighbors say he was active in the local church.

The FBI says these images posted to Facebook show Craig Robertson “demonstrating his ability to conduct sniper tactics.” (DOJ)

But his posts repeatedly mentioned killing the president and other high-profile Democrats, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, in addition to members of the FBI, according to court filings.

Jon Michael Ossola, a neighbor who witnessed portions of the raid, said he and his wife typically are getting ready to go to the gym around the time authorities showed up at Robertson’s front door Wednesday.

“We woke up, and then we started hearing some weird noises, and we went around the corner,” he told Fox News Digital. “That’s when they started just kind of shouting, and there’s like a full SWAT team there.”

Utah resident Craig Robertson was killed on Wednesday morning while Federal Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to execute a search and arrest warrant, and officials say the man had made numerous online threats against President Biden and other politicians. (Department of Justice)

After agents identified themselves as law enforcement, Robertson did not cooperate.

“He started yelling back like, ‘I haven’t broken any federal laws,'” Ossola told Fox News Digital. “And that kind of went on for a while until like there was a bunch of flash bangs that went off, and there were a lot of loud bangs –obviously some gunshots.”

FBI AGENTS KILL MAN IN UTAH WHO ALLEGEDLY THREATENED BIDEN

The complaint in United States District Court against Craig Deleeuw Robertson, featuring threatening online postings by Robertson, is photographed in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Robertson, an armed Utah man accused of making violent threats against President Joe Biden, was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities say. The shooting happened as special agents tried to serve a warrant on Robertson’s home in Provo, south of Salt Lake City.  (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

The conversation and the shooting itself are not clear on the video, but bangs can be heard.

After about a half-hour, the neighbor said, authorities retrieved Robertson’s body from the home.

A photo from court documents in which the FBI says Craig Robertson described a rifle as a “DEMOCRAT ERADICATOR.” (DOJ)

A medical team determined he was deceased and laid a sheet over his remains until they placed them in an ambulance and drove away.

Authorities were still on scene as of Thursday morning.

Images show the aftermath of an FBI raid in Utah on the home of Craig Robertson, a 74-year-old Provo man accused of making death threats against President Biden. (Fox News Digital )

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A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service acknowledged the incident on X, formerly known as Twitter, but deferred questions to the FBI and Department of Justice.

Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.

Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports