FBI investigates 'apparent assassination attempt' on Donald Trump – suspect identified | US News

The FBI says an “apparent assassination attempt” on Donald Trump has been foiled, a man has been arrested and an assault rifle has been seized.

Mr Trump was playing a round at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, when gunshots were heard.

Breaking news: Suspect arrested after 'running out of the bushes'

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that a Secret Service agent patrolling the route ahead of Trump spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a perimeter fence.

“He immediately attacked the person, who then fled,” he said.

It is not yet known whether the suspect fired first, whether he fired a shot at all, or whether only the secret service fired.

“We are not sure at this time whether the individual was capable of shooting at our agents,” Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Miami field office, said at a press conference.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after his vehicle was stopped by local police, reported NBC News, Sky News' US affiliate, citing three senior police officials.

Officers then searched the area where the man believed to be Routh was spotted and found an AK-47 rifle with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro.

Palm Beach County Attorney Dave Aronberg told MSNBC that Routh was “lying in wait” for Mr Trump.

He said Routh targeted Secret Service agents and one of them shot him.

Previously, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder described how his officers followed the suspect's black Nissan SUV for a while before “stopping him for a serious crime.”

He said: “Our road police picked up the vehicle and we waited for a while. We did not stop him immediately. We did not want a high-speed chase.”

“This meant we could wait until we had enough emergency personnel, surround the vehicle and force it to stop.”

He added that they managed to arrest the suspect peacefully.

Read more:
What we know about the events so far
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Trump then declared: “There have been gunshots near me, but before the rumor mill gets out of control, I want you to hear this: I AM SAFE AND I AM FINE!”

“Nothing will stop me. I will NEVER GIVE UP! I will always love you for supporting me.

“Unity. Peace. Make America great again. May God bless you.”

Mr Trump has now returned to his resort in Mar-a-Lago.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that he had been informed of the “apparent assassination attempt” and was “relieved that the former president is unharmed.”

“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or violence of any kind in our country,” he said, adding that he had instructed his team to “ensure that the Secret Service has all the necessary resources, capabilities and protections to ensure the continued safety of the former president.”

A White House statement previously said: “The President and Vice President have been briefed on the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was playing golf.”

“They are relieved to know he is safe. Their team will keep them regularly updated.”

What do we know about the suspect?

Routh reportedly traveled to Ukraine to help the country fight against Russia.

A video has surfaced of an interview he gave to Newsweek in 2022 in which he discussed his efforts to recruit volunteers for the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

Routh had attempted to recruit Afghan conscripts by posing as an unofficial liaison for the Ukrainian government.

In an interview with news platform Semafor last year, Routh said he was trying to find a house in Pakistan that could temporarily house Afghans who want to fight in Ukraine.

Records show Routh lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Kaaawa, Hawaii, in 2018, the Associated Press reported.

Referring to Sunday's incident at Trump's golf course, Routh's son told CNN he hoped “everything had been taken out of context” and that it would be uncharacteristic of his father to “do anything crazy, let alone violent.”

Oran Routh said: “Ryan is my father and I have nothing to say about that other than a character profile of him as a loving and caring father and an honest, hard-working man… He is a good father and a great man and I hope you can portray him in an honest light.”

It has also been revealed that Routh wrote a book about the war in Ukraine in which he describes how he “gave up and quit,” a decision that he believes makes him “the worst human being.”

He writes: “I am the failure, the hypocrite, who wants the world to change but allows communism to beat him down and exhaust him and then send him home.”

“Just five months and I'm running home, not even at the first bit of mud, the cold or the first bullet, and I'm beaten and exhausted at the simplest elemental challenges between good and evil and I fail.”

Two months earlier, the Republican presidential candidate suffered an ear injury during a Assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania in July.

The shooter, who was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crookswas shot at the scene by the secret service.

The attack on Trump led to Resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatlewho admitted to Congress that her agency had experienced the “most significant operational failure” in decades.