FORMER President Donald Trump was unharmed after an attempted assassination at his Florida golf course on Sunday. The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, is now in custody, according to the FBI.
The incident occurred shortly before 2 pm ET at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. Secret Service agents reportedly “opened fire on a gunman” near the property line, stated Special Agent Rafael Barros at a press conference.
At the time, Trump was on the course, within 300 to 500 yards of the suspect, as confirmed by Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. The former president was swiftly taken to safety and returned to his Mar-a-Lago residence shortly after.
In a statement to supporters, Trump’s campaign reassured, “I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
Witnesses reported seeing a man fleeing the scene and jumping into a black Nissan, which was later tracked using a photo of the license plate. This led to the lockdown of northbound lanes on Interstate-95.
Authorities discovered an AK-47-style rifle with a scope and other suspicious items near the scene. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office detained Routh after pulling over his vehicle. Sheriff William Snyder described Routh as having a “calm, flat affect” during the arrest.
The FBI has taken charge of the investigation, dedicating full resources to uncover further details of the apparent assassination attempt.
