FLORIDA: Former U.S. President Donald Trump said FBI agents have raided his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

“My beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said in lengthy statement Monday evening. “After working and cooperating with the relevant government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.”

The circumstances of the search were not immediately clear, according to media reports. The Justice Department, however, has been actively investigating the discovery of classified information in boxes of records that were taken to Trump’s Florida residence after he left the White House in January 2021.

Trump, who was in New York City on Monday, did not say why the raid took place. The FBI and Justice Department did not immediately comment on Trump’s statement.

Justice Department spokesperson Dena Iverson declined to comment on the search to The Associated Press. Iverson also declined to comment about whether Attorney General Merrick Garland had personally authorized the search, according to media reports.

A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, told the AP the search happened earlier Monday.

Earlier this year, the National Archives and Records Administration said it had found classified material in 15 boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. It then referred the case to the Justice Department.

(VOA)