Donald Trump was subject of 'apparent assassination attempt', FBI says

Trump shortly after being found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records
-Credit: (Image: AFP via Getty Images)


The FBI says former US president Donald Trump was the subject of “an apparent assassination attempt” at his Florida golf club.

Police have said that a man who pointed a rifle through the fence at the West Palm Beach golf course was around 400-500 yards away from the former president. They said he also had a scope, backpacks and a GoPro camera.

The Republican presidential candidate has returned to his Mar-a-Lago resort after shots were fired in his vicinity at the golf course. on Sunday (September 15), according to an Associated Press source. Mr Trump's campaign team has confirmed that he is safe.

READ MORE: Trump safe after gunshots reported in his vicinity in Florida, campaign team say

US Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Mr Trump’s golf club, according to law enforcement officials. The person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county by local law enforcement, the officials said.

The officials were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity about an ongoing investigation. An AK-style firearm was recovered at the scene near Mr Trump’s golf course, one of the officials said.

The golf course was partially shut down for Mr Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed the person with the firearm, the officials said. The person appeared to push the muzzle of the rifle through the fence line and that is when agents fired, the officials said

Mr Trump’s campaign and the Secret Service said he was safe, and the agency said it was investigating the incident that occurred shortly before 2pm local time. The incident comes two months after Mr Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Mr Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast tour that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. No injuries were reported, according to a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they were “relieved” to know Mr Trump is safe.

Ms Harris, in a statement said she was “glad” Mr Trump was safe, adding that “violence has no place in America”. In an X post, Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Mr Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with the former president after the incident and that he was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known”.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Sunday that it has stopped a vehicle on northbound Interstate 95 and taken a suspect into custody who is believed to be connected to the shooting. The sheriff’s office said it made the stop after authorities in neighbouring Palm Beach County put out a “be on the lookout” alert.

The post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office indicated the suspect was apprehended near Palm City, Florida, about a 45-mile drive north of Mr Trump’s golf course. Northbound lanes of I-95 were shut down, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff William Snyder told WPTV that the suspect “was not armed when we took him out of the car”. The man had a calm, flat demeanour and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Mr Snyder said, adding the suspect did not question why he was being pulled over.

“He never asked, ‘what is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Mr Snyder said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the situation and is receiving regular updates about it, a Justice Department spokeswoman said.