A man pointed a gun at Mr. Trump from the east fence of the golf course in Florida. The FBI called this an “assassination attempt” and arrested the attacker.
At about 1:30 p.m. on September 15, a secret agent protecting Donald Trump at the Trump International golf course in West Palm Beach, near the Mar-a-Lago residence, discovered “a gun barrel protruding from the fence” about 275 meters away from the former president. 460 m and immediately fired at least 4 shots towards the suspect.
The suspect fled from the bushes behind a fence, leaving behind an AK-style gun with a viewfinder, a GoPro camera and two backpacks. Ric Bradshaw, police chief of Palm Beach County, Florida, explained that the secret service discovered the suspect because he was part of a guard group located one or two golf holes in front of the former president, according to security procedures.
“We are investigating an alleged assassination attempt against former President Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida,” the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced.
Officials did not confirm whether the suspect fired any shots toward the former president. “We are also not sure whether the suspect opened fire at the secret agents,” said Rafael Barros, secret service officer in charge of the Miami, Florida, operations office.
Sean Hannity, Fox News host, said Mr. Trump was playing golf with his longtime friend, New York real estate investor Steve Witkoff.
“They were in hole number 5. What Steve described was similar to Mr. Trump, they all heard ‘pop pop,'” Mr. Hannity said. “The secret service rushed towards the former president, shielding him.”
The suspect fled in a black car. A witness took a photo of the license plate and provided it to authorities. Sheriff’s deputies in neighboring Martin County stopped the suspect on Interstate 95, 61 kilometers from the golf course, and arrested him.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said the suspect “appeared calm and collected” when he was arrested. “He doesn’t show much emotion,” according to Snyder.
The suspect’s identity and motive have not been announced, but American media reported that this person is Ryan Wesley Routh, 58 years old, from Hawaii.
Mr. Trump also quickly spoke to reassure his supporters. “Gunshots rang out right near me. Before rumors start spreading out of control, I want you to know this first: I am safe and healthy!”, the Republican candidate wrote in an email. to campaign donors.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been informed of the incident. “They feel relieved that Mr. Trump is still safe,” the White House said.
“Violence has no place in America,” Ms. Harris said.
Mr. Trump is the Republican presidential candidate. The former US president was unsuccessfully assassinated while campaigning in Pennsylvania on July 13 and was injured in his ear.
Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot down by the US Secret Service sniper team about 20 seconds later, but the fact that the gunman was able to fire 6 consecutive shots at the former president before forces at the scene could react sparked a stir. raised questions about Trump’s security protection process.
Kimberly Cheatle, director of the US Secret Service at that time, resigned and at least five agents were also suspended. Cheatle said she took responsibility for the shooting and admitted it was the agency’s biggest failure since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
According to the Capitoneshirt