Mar-A-Lago Intruder Arrested After Violating Court Order

A Chinese national, Zijie Li, was arrested Thursday for trespassing at President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Li, 39, had previously been ordered to stay away from the property after multiple incidents involving police and Secret Service agents.

Li, who resides in Los Angeles on a student visa, was detained after arriving at the estate in an Uber. Police say he had been released from a mental hospital earlier that day, where he had been placed following an incident near Mar-a-Lago in October.

In July, Li first attempted to access the estate, claiming to have information about an assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania. He was turned away by Secret Service agents but returned days later, resulting in his arrest on trespassing charges. A judge ordered him to stay away from Mar-a-Lago as a condition of his release.

Last week, Li approached a local homeowner with a Trump campaign sign, asking if she could take him into Mar-a-Lago. She called authorities, leading to his hospitalization. Despite the court order, Li returned to the estate after his release and was arrested again for trespassing.

Mar-a-Lago has been a focal point for security breaches, including several incidents involving Chinese nationals. In one high-profile case, Yujing Zhang entered the property in 2019 with multiple electronic devices. Zhang was convicted of trespassing and later deported.

The Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office, which represents Li, has declined to comment on the case. His repeated attempts to access Mar-a-Lago underscore the challenges of securing Trump’s residence, which remains a high-profile target.

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