A Chinese national has been arrested after several attempts to breach security at Mar-a-Lago, the private club and residence of former President Donald Trump.
The suspect, 38-year-old Zijie Li from El Monte, California, alleged he had documents linking the Chinese government to a recent assassination attempt on Trump.
WPTV reported that on July 19, around 8 p.m., Li drove a Toyota Prius to the main gate of Mar-a-Lago and tried to enter. Secret Service agents intercepted him there.
Li claimed he had crucial information linking China to an assassination attempt on the former president and demanded to hand over the documents. However, the Secret Service informed him he was trespassing and could not leave any materials.
Palm Beach police were called to the scene and issued Li a written trespassing warning, instructing him not to return or face arrest. Despite this, Li was seen again on July 30 at around 5:30 p.m., driving towards the Mar-a-Lago checkpoint on South Ocean Boulevard and obstructing traffic.
An officer stopped Li and noticed his GPS was set to Mar-a-Lago. Although he was released, he was spotted again an hour later. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach officer intercepted him, reiterated the trespassing warning, and released him.
On July 31, Li tried once again to enter the estate, making his way through several Secret Service checkpoints before being stopped at the south gate.
As reported by Palm Beach Daily News:
“He came back again about 10 a.m., driving east on Southern Boulevard across the Intracoastal Waterway and past the Secret Service checkpoints, trying to enter Mar-a-Lago at the estate’s southern gate, police said. At that point, he was back on Mar-a-Lago property and in violation of the trespassing warning, the report said. When security told Li that he couldn’t enter Mar-a-Lago, he left again — but this time, officers were looking for him.”
Given his previous warnings, police issued a “be on the lookout” alert. Li was eventually arrested at the intersection north of Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was not at the estate during the incident.
He now faces a trespassing charge after being previously warned and is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on a $10,000 bond, up from the initial $3,000 bond.
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