THE FBI is investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination” of Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another such attempt.
The former president was safe and unharmed after the US Secret Service opened fire at a man pointing an AK-style rifle into the club as Trump was on the course, three law enforcement officials said.
The person dropped the weapon and fled in an SUV, and was later taken into custody in a neighbouring county.
The officials were not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
An AK-style firearm was recovered at the scene near Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, two of the officials said. And no injuries were reported.
The incident was the latest jarring moment in a campaign year marked by unprecedented upheaval. It occurred roughly two months after Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.
Only a week later, president Joe Biden withdrew from the race.
The golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed the person with the firearm, the officials said.
There are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line.
Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump when he golfs.
Agents also usually bring an armoured vehicle onto the course to quickly shelter Trump should a threat arise.
Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast tour that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.
In an email to supporters after the incident,Trump said: “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 returned to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach where he lives, a person familiar with Trump’s movements told the Associated Press, speaking anonymously.
It was not immediately clear whether the incident would affect his campaign schedule.
The former president has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July.
When he has been at Trump Tower in New York, a line-up of trucks have parked in a wall outside the building. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass.
Trump was returned safely after the incident to his private Mar-a-Lago club, where he resides in neighbouring Palm Beach, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The White House said President Joe Biden (below) and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation.
The White House added they were “relieved” to know Trump is safe.
Harris, in a statement, said she was “glad” Trump was safe, adding that “violence has no place in America.”
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz said he and his wife, Gwen, are “glad” to hear Trump is safe.
“Violence has no place in our country,” he said in a post on X. “It’s not who we are as a nation.”
In an Twitter/X post, Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with the former president after the incident and that he was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known.”
Martin County Sheriff William D Snyder said the suspect was apprehended within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office putting out a “very urgent Bolo — or ‘be on the lookout’ alert” detailing the specific vehicle sought, licence plate number and occupant description.
Snyder said his deputies “immediately flooded” northbound I-95, deploying to every exit between the Palm Beach County line to the south and St Lucie County line to the north.
“One of my road patrol units saw the vehicle, matched the tag and we set up on the vehicle,” Snyder said, “We pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody.”
Snyder told WPTV that the suspect “was not armed when we took him out of the car.”
The man had a calm, flat demeanour and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Snyder said, saying the suspect did not question why he was being pulled over.
“He never asked, ‘what is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.
Law enforcement officials said the man who pointed the rifle and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh.
Records show Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii, where he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the situation and is receiving regular updates about it, a Justice Department spokeswoman said.
The post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office indicated the suspect was apprehended near Palm City, Florida, about a 45-mile drive north of Trump’s golf course. Northbound lanes of I-95 were shut down, the sheriff’s office said.
A message sent to campaign officials seeking information on the security status and location of JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was not immediately returned.
Max Egusquiza, of Palm Beach, described the emergency response outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course.
“From what I saw five black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course. There were about 20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets,” he said.
