Donald Trump‘s campaign says that the former President is safe, following a shooting described by the FBI as “what appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sunday. No injuries have been reported.
Authorities have arrested suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, who pointed an AK-style rifle with a scope as Trump was on the course, per the Associated Press. Secret Service agents opened fire on the suspect as he attempted to flee the scene in an SUV. He was taken into custody in a neighbouring county. The investigation remains ongoing.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement. “No further details at this time.”
In a statement released to supporters subscribed to his campaign’s emails, Trump wrote: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”
“I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe,” Vice President and Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris wrote in a statement. “Violence has no place in America.”
The incident comes nine weeks after Trump was shot and injured in an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Penn., where a bullet grazed his ear. One person in the crowd was killed by the gunfire. The incident occurred just days before the Republican National Convention kicked off in Milwaukee where Trump accepted the party’s nomination for President in a 91-minute speech that detailed his experience of the assassination attempt.
From Variety US