THE FBI said on Sunday that it was investigating what appeared to be an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump as he played golf at one of his clubs in Florida.
Officials said Trump was safe. Just two months ago, he was wounded in an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach when the incident unfolded around 1.30 pm on Sunday, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County said at a news briefing.
A Secret Service agent saw an armed man hiding in the shrubbery surrounding the golf course, according to Bradshaw. The Secret Service fired at the man, said Rafael Barros, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Miami field office. It was not immediately clear if the suspect had fired any shots.
Trump was one or two holes away from the Secret Service on the golf course — and perhaps 366 m away from the armed man, Bradshaw said.
Trump had been golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from his Mar-a-Lago residence, when the shooter was spotted a hole ahead of him, Bradshaw said.
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“We have somebody in custody right now that is a potential suspect,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told a press conference.
An AK-47-style rifle with a scope was found near the property line, along with a video camera, the sheriff added.
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communications director, said in a statement.
A witness saw the suspect flee from the bushes to a black Nissan. The witness took a photo of the car and shared it with law enforcement officials. The suspect was stopped driving northbound on Interstate 95 after crossing into Martin County.
Law enforcement officials are running a trace to determine who bought the gun and where it was sold, according to two officials with knowledge of the situation.
Trump was golfing with his friend Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor, on the course when the shots were fired at the course, according to three people briefed on the matter. Trump later returned to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate.
Sheriff William Snyder of neighboring Martin County said on CNN that the potential suspect who was stopped by law enforcement had “a relatively calm, flat affect. He was not displaying a lot of emotions.”
Law enforcement were launching a sweeping investigation and intense focus will come down on the arrested suspect, but as of Sunday afternoon there was no indication of a motive for the attempted assassination.
Vice-President Kamala Harris said on social media that she had been briefed on the incident. “I am glad he is safe,” she wrote. “Violence has no place in America.”
In a statement, a White House official said President Joe Biden had also been briefed, along with Harris. “They are relieved to know that he is safe,” the official said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., posted on social media that he had spoken with Trump and he was “in good spirits.” NYTIMES, AFP
