US President Joe Biden has said "there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country" and praised law enforcement for helping keep former President Trump safe during a shooting incident that investigators said "appears to be an attempted assassination" of the Republican presidential nominee on Sunday.
"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," Biden said after being briefed on the shooting at Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
He said in a statement: "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."
Fifty-eight-year old Ryan Wesley Routh has been identified in US media reports as the man alleged to have tried to kill former President Donald Trump as he played golf on his golf course in Florida on Sunday. Routh is said to be a resident of Hawaii, worked as a construction worker in North Carolina and has tried to recruit fighters in support of Ukraine in its defence against Russian invasions. The FBI said it was investigating the incident as an "attempted assassination".
"The FBI. has responded to West Palm Beach, Florida, and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump," the agency said in a statement. Investigators found an AK-47 style rifle, two backpacks filled with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera that he had abandoned.
This was a second assassination attempt on Trump in a little more than two months. The first was in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. He was hit in the right ear. The shooter, who was operating by himself, was killed by a law enforcement sniper.
The Sunday incident took place at the Trump International Golf Club in west Palm Beach around 1:30 p.m. Investigators said a Secret Service agent moving ahead of the former president to secure the area noticed a gun sticking out from a portion of the thick foliage around the periphery of the golf course.
The agent went in that direction and it was not clear yet if the suspect had opened fire. But he was about 350 to 500 yard behind -- between the fifth and sixth holes -- which was not out range for the scape on the rifle -- between. A witness saw the suspect, investigators said, took a picture of the car and the registration plate and he was pulled over shortly and taken into custody.
"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!" Trump said in a statement. "Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!" The White House said in a separate statement that President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who are both in Washington D.C., had been briefed.
"The President and Vice-President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team." Harris said in a post on X that she is "glad" the former president is safe.
"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. Violence has no place in America." The shooting is reported to have taken place near his Palm Beach golf course. President Trump was on course and shots were fired from the trees on the periphery, CNN said. The US Secret Service personnel returned fire in that direction.
(With inputs from IANS)
