an fbi agent 's sniper rifle was ripped out of his car 's window and stolen from a salt lake city hotel parking lot just days before president obama visited utah earlier this month .
the gun was inside a hard rifle case and was ` secured properly ' to a truck safe with padlocks and chains while the car was parked at the marriott springhill suites .
police believe the thief stole the rifle by breaking the rear right passenger-side window , tying a rope around the rifle case 's handle or a cable lock , and using the momentum from another vehicle to then break the case 's handle free from the lock .