Suspect is in Custody Following Alleged Assassination Attempt on Former U.S. President Trump
Former U.S. President Donald Trump was the target of an apparent attempted assassination at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, yesterday, the FBI says.
U.S. Secret Service agents spotted the muzzle of a rifle sticking out of shrubbery lining the Trump International Golf Course as they swept the course for security hazards ahead of the former president and current presidential nominee as he played. At the time, Trump was about 400 to 500 yards away from the gunman. An agent quickly engaged with the person holding the rifle, who fled.
Secret Service agents fired four to five rounds of ammunition, and the suspect dropped the AK-47 style rifle equipped with a scope, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera set up to allegedly film the event, the BBC reported. A witness saw the suspect drive away and provided authorities with the car’s model and license plate number. Officers later located the suspect on Interstate 95.
Trump was not injured during the incident and was promptly whisked away in a steel-reinforced vehicle by Secret Service agents as soon as shots were fired.
In a statement, Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Miami Field Office, said: “I first want to thank all of our law enforcement partners, including the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, for their involvement today. Former President Donald Trump is safe and unharmed following a possible attempted assassination shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday at Trump International Golf Club at West Palm Beach. U.S. Secret Service personnel opened fire on a gunman located near the property line. The FBI has assumed its role as the lead agency investigating this matter.”
Additional security measures had been taken for Trump since a previous assassination attempt in July. President Joe Biden noted that the Secret Service will have access to any resources and protective measures it needs to carry out its mission to protect key political figures.
According to the Associated Press (AP), Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been surrounded with law enforcement if a sitting president were golfing, but because Trump is a former president and a nominee, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”
“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter,” Bradshaw said. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job.”
The suspect, identified by authorities as Ryan Wesley Routh, is in custody. Early media investigations into Routh found that his social media accounts advocate a wide range of political views, especially regarding the war in Ukraine. In 2023, he told The New York Times that he had traveled to Ukraine in 2022 to find military recruits among Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban. Ukrainian officials firmly denied any connection with Routh, the AP reported.
Routh is expected in court today.
