WEST PALM BEACH (Florida, US), Sept 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Former President Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt Sunday in Florida, the FBI said, with the Republican presidential candidate’s campaign and law enforcement reporting he was safe and unharmed.
The US Secret Service confirmed one or more of its agents “opened fire on a gunman” located near the boundary of Trump’s golf course, and that an “AK-47 style rifle” with a scope was recovered along with a GoPro video camera.
Amid the confrontation with the Secret Service, the suspect bolted out of the shrubbery he had been hiding in and escaped in a black car. A witness helped police identify the vehicle and authorities tracked it down.
“We have somebody in custody right now that is a potential suspect,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told a news conference.
Trump had been golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from his Mar-a-Lago residence, when the would-be shooter was spotted in bushes one hole ahead of the former president, Bradshaw said.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement, while Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris expressed relief her political rival was out of danger.
Trump himself said in a website fundraising message: “Fear not! I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. Thank God!”
The unnerving incident appears to mark the second time in as many months that Trump has been the target of an assassination attempt. The former president was wounded in the ear on July 13 as he addressed an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it is “investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”
Sheriff Bradshaw said Secret Service personnel in Trump’s protective detail spotted “this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engaged that individual, at which time the individual took off.”
The incident came amid heightened tensions in the knife-edge presidential race, and concern for the safety of both candidates.
“There is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
“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.”
Vice President Harris took to social media to say “I am glad he is safe.”
Several Trump supporters and members of his inner circle, including his running mate J.D. Vance, offered their support and gratitude that tragedy was avoided.
“I’m glad President Trump is safe,” Vance said on X. “I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits.”
The Secret Service, tasked with protecting presidents, former presidents and other dignitaries, has faced criticism since the Pennsylvania shooting.
Kimberly Cheatle, the head of the agency, resigned amid the ensuing scrutiny, and at least five agents were placed on administrative leave. — NNN-AGENCIES
