Former United States President Donald Trump said he is “safe and well” after what authorities said appeared to be a second assassination attempt on the Republican candidate.
The FBI said it is investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination” of Trump on Sunday after the Secret Service said it opened fire on a gunman at the former president’s golf resort in Florida.
“FEAR NOT! I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. Thank God!” Trump said in a statement on his fundraising website.
“But, there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us. I will not stop fighting for you. I will Never Surrender.”
“I will always love you for supporting me,” the statement added. “Through our UNITY we will Make America Great Again.”
FBI investigating ‘attempted assassination’
Trump had been golfing at his West Palm Beach course, not far from his Mar-a-Lago residence, during a day away from the presidential campaign.
At a joint news conference involving the FBI, Secret Service and local officials, authorities said that a Secret Service agent, who was one hole ahead of Trump on the golf course, spotted a person with a firearm located near the boundary of the resort and fired in his direction.
It was unclear if the suspect fired back at the agent, officials added.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the suspect was 400 to 500 yards (365 to 457 metres) from Trump and it appeared he sought to film himself.
The suspect fled the wooded area in a black vehicle, but was quickly located and detained by law enforcement agencies, according to officials.
A backpack, GoPro camera, firearm scope and “AK-47-style rifle” were recovered from the scene, officials said.
“I would imagine the next time he comes on a golf course, there will probably be… more people around the perimeter,” Bradshaw told reporters.
“But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done. They provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agents did a fantastic job.”
The New York Times and Fox News named the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, citing unnamed law enforcement officials.
The White House said that President Joe Biden 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 that both Biden and Harris were “relieved” to know Trump is safe.
“Violence has no place in America,” Harris said in a post on X.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, expressed relief that Trump had not been hurt.
“I’m glad [former] President Trump is safe,” Vance said on X.
“I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits. Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude.”
Fox News presenter Sean Hannity also said he had spoken to Trump and Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor who was with him on the golf course.
“When the [former] president found out that everybody was safe and nobody had been harmed, I guess in typical ‘fight, fight, fight’ fashion, Trump said to Steve and he relayed it to me: ‘Ah, I really wanted to finish the hole. I was even, and I had a birdie putt,'” Hannity said.
The incident comes just two months after Trump was grazed by a bullet during an attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Trump was wounded in his ear and one person attending the rally was killed in the attack.
The attacker, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
The attack raised questions about protection for the candidates months out from the November 5 election between Trump and Harris.
Kimberly Cheatle was forced to resign as Secret Service director under bipartisan congressional pressure following the assassination attempt.
Ronald L Rowe Jr, the agency’s new acting director, said in August that he was “ashamed” of the security lapse that had led to the attack.
Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who represents New York’s 21st District in the House of Representatives, said the incident raised further questions about the security around Trump.
“We must ask ourselves how an assassin was allowed to get this close to [former] President Trump again?” Stefanik said in a statement.
“There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened today in Florida.”
Source: news agencies