Manhunt underway in Arizona for suspect who threatened to kill Trump

A manhunt is underway in Arizona for a suspect who threatened to kill former President Trump ahead of a rally in the Copper State on Thursday. 

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspect as 66-year-old Ronald Lee Syvrud. 

The sheriff’s office said Syvrud has outstanding warrants from the state of Wisconsin for DUI, failure to appear for DUI and from Graham County, Arizona, for hit-and-run and felony failure to register as a sex offender. 

The sheriff’s office said it also has an absconder hold for Syvrud for failing to register as a sex offender. 

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Syvrud is listed on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections sex offender registry for “second-degree sexual assault of a child” with an Arizona address. 

Court records reviewed by Digital show Syvrud was most recently charged with assault in June, but that was dropped in July. 

The sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that Syvrud is being sought “as an investigative lead for threats to kill a presidential candidate,” but did not elaborate. Digital later confirmed that the “presidential candidate” is Trump. 

The threat against former President Trump’s life comes after the assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month. 

The sheriff’s office told Digital that there are “no known ties to Pennsylvania, and we are working with local, state, and federal agencies.” 

The former president held his first outdoor rally on Wednesday since the assassination attempt, speaking behind a wall of bulletproof glass at a podium in Asheboro, North Carolina. 

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks behind bulletproof glass during a campaign rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, August 21, 2024. (PETER ZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump is visiting the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona, Thursday while continuing to campaign for the November election. He’s been spending the week campaigning across battleground states. 

At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Trump appeared to be unaware of the manhunt when asked for comment. The former president said he was aware it might be “dangerous” for him to be there but nevertheless, “I have a job to do.” 

“I haven’t heard about that. They probably want to keep it from me,” Trump said, when asked to respond to the manhunt. “Thank you for telling me. Let’s get out of here, right now!” Trump joked. He again thanked the reporter for telling him.

Trump then pivoted to remarks on the assassination attempt in Butler, saying he has “great respect for the Secret Service” who jumped “on top of me with bullets flying.” 

“I have great respect. But no, I haven’t heard that,” Trump said, referring back to the manhunt underway.  “But I’m not that surprised. And the reason is because I want to do things that are very bad for the bad guys.

The U.S. Secret Service told Digital it is aware of and tracking the manhunt in Arizona and referred all further inquiries to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office for further comments, including potential ties to Butler. 

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Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for a response.