Washington: Former US president Donald Trump is safe after he escaped an apparent assassination attempt while he was golfing on his course in Florida, a second bid on his life in two months.
The incident took place Sunday at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Secret Service agents “opened fire on a gunman located near the property line” of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Rafael Barros, the special agent in charge in Miami, said during a news conference, adding that the agency was “unsure whether the individual,” who is in custody, “was able to take a shot at our agents.”
Trump, who was golfing at the club, was unharmed.
According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, a Secret Service agent spotted the suspect with a rifle sticking through the fence of the golf course and immediately fired at the man before he fled the scene.
The 78-year-old Republican presidential nominee was 300 to 500 yards away from the suspect, Bradshaw said.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s Campaign Communications director, said in a statement soon after that.
In a message to his supporters, Trump said he is safe.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” he said.
Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old owner of a small construction company in Hawaii, was detained in connection with the incident.
On Monday, he appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach. He was wearing dark prison scrubs, and his feet and hands were shackled, CNN reported.
Routh has been charged with two firearm counts. The counts include possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, the channel said.
Citing law enforcement officials, it said that additional charges could be brought against Routh.
A detention hearing has been set for September 23 and the arraignment is set for September 30.
This was the second attempt on Trump’s life in two months. In July, a life-threatening attack on Trump during his rally in Pennsylvania shocked the entire nation. He injured his right ear after the young shooter fired multiple shots at him at the campaign rally.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Monday said that he has not yet spoken with Trump after the incident, but reiterated that his state was doing its own investigation as “there is a need to make sure that the truth about all of this comes out in a way that is credible.”
Routh, who has a lengthy criminal record from North Carolina, frequently posted about politics and exclusively donated to Democratic candidates and causes dating back to 2019, the New York Post reported.
He also bashed Trump in an April 22 post on X in which he declared, “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”
During an interview with the New York Times in 2023, Routh also said he was seeking recruits for Ukraine from among Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban. He said he planned to move them, in some cases illegally, from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine. He said dozens had expressed interest.
“We can probably purchase some passports through Pakistan since it’s such a corrupt country,” he was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
He has shown pro-Ukraine views in his public statements because of which he was interviewed by several news organisations, including The New York Times and Semafor in 2023.
The White House has said that both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed about the incident.
“The President and Vice President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” the White House said.
President Biden on Sunday condemned “political violence” following the second assassination attempt on former President Trump.
The Democratic president said he had been briefed on the incident and the federal investigation into the matter.
Soon after the gunshots were heard at the golf club in Florida, where Trump was golfing, the FBI said that it was “investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump”.
The incident took place at roughly around 1:30 pm local time when Secret Service agents spotted a person with an AK-47 near the golf course. Agents opened fire at him.
“Officials believe the shots fired at Trump International Golf Club were intended for former President Donald Trump, according to sources familiar on the matter,” CNN reported.
“Sources said the Secret Service spotted a suspicious individual on the Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach and opened fire when agents saw what appeared to be the barrel of a gun,” the New York Post reported.
“Just spoke with President Trump. He is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known. He’s in good spirits and he is more resolved than ever to save our country,” said Senator Lindsey Graham after speaking with Trump.
Trump thanked the Secret Service for keeping him safe after the second assassination attempt. “THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” he added.
JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, said on X that he spoke with Trump before the news was public and that the former president “was, amazingly, in good spirits” and there is “still much we don’t know.”
AP