Former US President Donald Trump was unharmed in an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf course, with a “potential suspect” taken into custody, US authorities said.
Officials said the Secret Service agents saw a rifle barrel in the bushes and fired. The FBI reported that Trump, 300-500 yards away (275-455m), was not in its line of fire.
Recovered from the scene: an AK47-style gun, scope, two backpacks, and a GoPro.
A witness testified that the suspect sprang from bushes into a black Nissan after agents fired at him several times.
He also took pictures of the vehicle and its plate that was later stopped to the north of the club in Martin County.
“We contacted Martin County Sheriff’s Office, alerted them, and they spotted the vehicle and pulled it over and detained the guy,” said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County.
“The sheriff said, ‘We flew in the witness who identified the person he saw running from the bushes and jumping into the car.'”
In an email, Trump told supporters he was “safe and well.”
“Nothing will stop me,” he wrote. “I don’t give up!
The incident comes nearly two months after a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania and hit his ear.
In a post on X, the Secret Service said they were investigating a “protective incident” involving Trump, which occurred just before 14:00 EST – 19:00 BST on Sunday.
The Secret Service agent on the course did a fantastic job,” Sheriff Bradshaw said.
An agent jumps one hole ahead to where the president was, spotted a rifle barrel out of the fence and engages that individual, who then fled.
A heavy security presence now blankets the roads and waters around the former president’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and the nearby West Palm Beach golf course.
US media cited unnamed officials as identifying the suspect as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh from Hawaii.
In fact, BBC Verify found, by that name, social media profiles where Routh called on foreign fighters to join the fight against Russian forces in Ukraine.
Routh was charged with various crimes between 2002 and 2010 in Guilford County, NC, law enforcement source close to the case told CBS News.
Offences included carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest, hit and run, driving with a revoked licence, and possession of stolen property.
The White House reported that President Biden and Vice-President Harris were briefed on the golf course incident.
Biden stated, “I am relieved the former president is unharmed.”
Harris will be in for a close contest against Trump, as the 5 November vote hangs on a few pivotal swing states.
Harris said, “I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt on former President Trump today.” “I condemn political violence. We must ensure this incident doesn’t spark further violence.” She said, “I am thankful that former President Trump is safe” and praised the Secret Service and police for their vigilance.
Trump was injured on 13 July in Butler, Pennsylvania, after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks shot him with an AR-15 from the rooftop of a nearby building. One bystander died, and Crooks, 20, was shot by a Secret Service sniper. The Secret Service faced questions over how the Bethel Park shooter opened fire on the former president.
