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Donald Trump has faced another apparent assassination attempt after shots were fired at one of his golf courses in Florida, the FBI has said.
The former president is safe and unharmed and the bureau says it is investigating the latest security episode involving the Republican presidential nominee, just nine weeks after he survived a previous attempt on his life.
A man was spotted aiming an AK-47-type rifle at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course while concealed in shrubbery about 400 yards to 500 yards away from the politician when he was spotted by Secret Service agents who opened fire as he fled the scene.
He was later stopped in a Nissan SUV by police and taken into custody in a neighboring county, according to local sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
The suspect has since been named as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, with the alleged gunman believed to have criticised Trump on social media and expressed his willingness to “fight and die” in Ukraine.
Authorities have since found two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera at the scene.
The incident comes two months after Trump was shot in the ear by a sniper at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump campaign recently briefed on threat from Iran
The Trump campaign was recently briefed on new intelligence that Iran is planning to escalate its attacks on the Republican presidential candidate and those in his orbit, according to CNN.
There’s nothing to suggest that this recent apparent attempt on Trump’s life has any connection to Iran, however.
The recent briefing was regarding possible physical as well as cybersecurity attacks.
It was reported earlier that intelligence officials had found indications that Iran was plotting to assassinate in the weeks leading up to the initial assassination attempt on 13 July, but there are no apparent links between the gunman shot that day – Thomas Matthew Crooks – and the alleged Iranian plot.
The US government has also determined that Iran was behind a hacking operation against the Trump campaign, which also attempted to target the then-Biden-Harris campaign.
Trump campaign managers email staff: ‘Your safety is always our top priority’
In an email to staff obtained by CNN, Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said: “This is not a matter that we take lightly. Your safety is always our top priority.
“We ask that you remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings. Be observant and maintain a constant level of situational awareness,” they added.
“We urge you to always follow directions from law enforcement, including USSS, local police and office armed security guards.”
Trump’s West Palm Beach campaign office went into lockdown following the shooting.
“President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” the campaign managers said.
Routh’s X posts reveal his politics – before suspected Trump assassination attempt
The suspect arrested over the latest apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump used to be a supporter of the former president back in 2016 – but has become highly critical of him of late, his social media accounts reveal.
He also self-published a book, according to CNN, in which he referred to the Republican candidate as an “idiot,” a “buffoon” and a “fool”, writing of his one-time support for the businessman: “I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake.”
Here’s the very latest from Rhian Lubin.
Rifle found near golf course may have been ‘misidentified’
A firearms expert has told The Washington Post that the weapon found near Trump’s golf course has been “misidentified.”
The director of Armament Research Services, NR Jenzen-Jones, told the newspaper: “The weapon in question has been misidentified as an AK-type rifle, probably due to the distinctively curved magazine and a visually similar gas system.”
Law enforcement said they found an “AK-47-style rifle” at a fence near the course.
But the photos viewed during the press conference on Sunday seem to show an SKS-type rifle in a polymer stock that has been fitted with an AK magazine for 7.62mm cartridges, the firearms expert said, according to The Post.
Biden says he’s ‘relieved that the former president is unharmed’
This is what President Joe Biden has had to say about the latest threat against his predecessor.
“I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today.
“A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe. I am relieved that the former President is unharmed.
“There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened.
“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”
Trump cracked jokes with allies after shots fired at his golf course, report says
Trump was playing golf on Sunday with friend Steve Witkoff and just a few of his staff present at the time of the shooting, according to The New York Times.
The former president has since joked about how he is frustrated his golf game was cut short.
Ex-White House physician and now Texas Republican Representative Ronny Jackson told the paper he spoke to Trump in the aftermath of the incident.
“I talked to him a little bit, checked on him. He told me he was always glad to hear from me but he was glad he didn’t need my services today,” Jackson told The NYT.
“I just told him he was glad he was okay and he said he can’t believe this happened.”
‘He was never part of the Legion,’ Ukrainian officer says of Trump shooting plot suspect
Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer in the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Land Forces Command in Ukraine, has told CNN this morning that Ryan Wesley Routh contacted Ukraine’s foreign legion on multiple occasions but was never part of its volunteer fighting forces.
“We can confirm this person reached out to us online multiple times,” Shaguri said, adding: “The best way to describe his messages is — delusional ideas.”
He continued: “[Routh] was offering us large numbers of recruits from different countries but it was obvious to us his offers were not realistic. We didn’t even answer, there was nothing to answer to. He was never part of the Legion and didn’t cooperate with us in any way.”
Routh expressed his support for Ukraine in numerous X posts in 2022, saying he was willing to die in the battle for its sovereignty and that “we need to burn the Kremlin to the ground”, also visiting the country that year and attempting to enlist Afghan conscripts online despite not being an official liaison to the Ukrainian government.
The BBC has meanwhile spoken to aid worker Chris Lutz, who says he encountered Routh in Kyiv: “I have met Ryan in person several times… Ryan was trying to get in contact with everyone speaking English. He was an omnipresent dude.”
Lutz described him as “a recruitment cheerleader” but added: “I wouldn’t call him crazy. He was just hyper-focused. He was trying his best to help Ukraine. But it was getting to an unhealthy level… He also had no rights or powers to recruit for Ukraine’s international legion. It was a complication.
“He asked me for advice on how to get Afghans into Ukraine. However, I had no experience of the Ukrainian legal system, so I declined the request. When he said he could bring over thousands of Afghan fighters, I started to get suspicious.”
‘Violence should have no place in any political campaign’
“It’s appalling to see political violence taking place. Violence should have no place in any political campaign,” Britain’s Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News this morning in response to yesterday’s events in Florida.
“We’re all glad that the former president is safe, and that this attempt, whatever it was that happened, was not successful.”
Meanwhile, here’s Kate Devlin on UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s comments.
‘It was certainly an interesting day!’ Trump breaks silence over second assassination attempt at golf club
Myriam Page and Justin Rohrlich have more on the Republican presidential nominee’s reaction to yesterday’s troubling events.
Suspect’s son: ‘It doesn’t sound like the man I know’
Ryan Routh’s son Oran had this to say to CNN earlier:
“Ryan is my father, and I don’t have any comment beyond a character profile of him as a loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man.
“I don’t know what’s happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard, it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent. He’s a good father, and a great man, and I hope you can portray him in an honest light.”
Source: independent.co.uk
