PROVO, Utah (KSL.com) — A Provo man who had allegedly been making threatening comments on social media about President Joe Biden — including making comments about a “sniper” during the president’s visit to Utah on WeA Provo man who posted threatening comments about President Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents Wednesday, hours before the president was scheduled to visit Utah Wednesday — was shot and killed while agents were serving a search and arrest warrant at his residence.
About 6:15 a.m., FBI agents were serving search and arrest warrants at the residence of 75-year-old Craig Deeleuw Robertson, 342 N. 1170 West in Provo. During the service of those warrants, Robertson was shot and killed.
No other information about what led to the shooting has been released.
Robertson was charged Wednesday in federal court with making interstate threats, making threats against federal law enforcement, and making threats against the president. A redacted copy of the arrest warrant was released following the shooting.
On Monday, Robertson stated, “I heard Biden is coming to Utah. Dogging out my old ghille suit and cleaning the out off the M-24 sniper rifle. Welcom(sp), buffoon-in-chief,” according to court documents.
Robertson’s Facebook page is filled with hateful and threatening remarks against President Biden.
“In my dream, I see Joe Biden’s body in a dark corner of a DC parking garage with his head severed and lying in a huge puddle of blood. Hoorah,” says a post that was published on his page Tuesday.
“Perhaps Utah will become famous this week as the place a sniper took out Biden the Marxist,” another posted on Tuesday states.
The president is scheduled to be in Utah Wednesday and Thursday.
In addition to making threats against the president, charging documents allege that on March 19, the FBI National Threat Operations Center received information that a threat was also made to kill New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who at the time was overseeing a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump.
Charging documents quote a social media post from Robertson which stated, “Heading to New York to fulfill my dream of iradicating another of George Soros two-but political hach DAs.I’ll be waiting in the courthouse parking garage with my suppressed Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm to smoke a radical fool prosecutor that should never have been elected. I want to stand over Bragg and put a nice hole in his forehead with my 9mm and watch him twitch as a drop of blood oozes from the hole as his life ebbs away to hell!!”
According to Robertson’s social media bio, he was an “Air Force Vietnam era vet,” a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, an “advocate and owner of many AR rifles” and other guns.
The FBI held surveillance on Robertson at his Provo home in March. They noted in court documents that he wore “an AR-15 style rifle lapel pin” and a “multi-colored (possibly camouflage) hat bearing the word ‘TRUMP’ on the front.”
When agents approached Robertson to discuss the comments he had posted on social media, he stated, “I said it was a dream!” followed by, “We’re done here! Don’t return without a warrant!” according to the charges.
Federal agents reviewed multiple social media platforms and posts allegedly made by Robertson.
“Based on my review of those posts … I know that Robertson does, in fact, appear to own a sniper rifle and a 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). 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,” the federal complaint states.
On Sept. 19, 2022, Robertson allegedly posted, “The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!”
Threatening comments were also made against New York State Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
On Sept. 26, 2022, Robertson is accused of posting a message apparently directed at Garland stating, “Send your FBI SWAT Team to my house. I’m a MAGA Trumper. You won’t because I fight back against cowards!!!” court documents state.
On Oct. 3, 2022, Robertson wrote “Death to Biden” multiple times in a social media post.
Several images of guns that Robertson allegedly owns were also posted on social media.