Apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump: 10 points

TOI World Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Sep 16, 2024, 09:28 IST

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US Secret Service agents fired at a man with an AK-style rifle near former President Donald Trump while he was golfing in Florida. The suspect fled but was later apprehended. Trump is safe, and the FBI is investigating it as an assassination attempt. President Biden and Vice President Harris have been informed.

Apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump: 10 points

Apparent assasination attempt on Trump's life. (AP photo)

US Secret Service agents on Sunday evening fired at a man pointing an AK-style rifle with a scope a few hundred yards away from where former President Donald Trump was playing golf on one of his Florida West Palm Beach courses.
Here are all the things to know about what happened to the Republican presidential nominee:

Secret Service agents spotted and fired on a gunman in bushes near the property line of the golf course, a few hundred yards from where Trump was playing. The suspect left an AK-47-style assault rifle and other items at the scene and fled in a vehicle but was later arrested.
The agents fired at least four rounds at the gunman around 1.30 pm (11 pm in India). The sheriff said the suspect dropped his rifle and left behind two backpacks before fleeing in a black Nissan car.

A witness managed to take photos of the suspect's car and license plate before he escaped. This information helped the police issue an alert to statewide agencies about the vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies from Martin County then apprehended the suspect on I-95, about 40 miles from the golf course.
Former President Donald Trump is safe. "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 wrote in a fundraising email after gunshots were fired in vicinity.
The FBI called the incident an apparent assassination attempt on Trump. This incident follows a prior shooting event at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. Two months ago, on July 13, Trump was grazed in the right ear by gunfire, which also resulted in the death of a rally attendee. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was subsequently shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.

The Pensylvania incident marked the first shooting of a US President or a major party presidential candidate in over forty years. Following the incident, the Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned due to pressures from both political parties over the security lapse.

Sheriff Bradshaw said that Trump's security detail was not as extensive as it would have been during his presidency, adding, "The entire course would have been locked down if this had happened while he was in office."
Trump's running mate in the presidential election, senator JD Vance said he spoke to Trump after the shooting and that the former President was in good spirits. "Still much we don't know, but I'll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude," wrote Vance on X.

The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, is a 58-year-old man with a history of law enforcement encounters and political activism, previously supporting both Democratic and Republican candidates. Records show Routh lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii, where he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.He was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to online North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records.

The records do not provide details about the case. But a News & Record story from 2002 says a man with the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police. The story says he was pulled over during a traffic stop, put his hand on a gun and barricaded himself inside a roofing business. He owned the roofing company, according to state incorporation filings.
Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion. In June 2020, he made a post on X directed at then-President Trump to say he would win reelection if he issued an executive order for the Justice Department to prosecute police misconduct.

However, in recent years, his posts suggest he soured on Trump, and he expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. In July, following the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Routh urged Biden and Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting at the hospital and to attend the funeral of a former fire chief killed at the rally.
The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident and were relieved to know that he was safe. US President Joe Biden issued a statement following saying that he was relieved that Trump was safe and had directed his team to ensure the former President's safety.

"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," Biden said, as per the statement released by the White House.

"There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened. As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety," White House added.

— VP (@VP)

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