Attempt on Trump’s life raises questions about how it could have happened again

An apparent attempt to assassinate former US President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida has rocked a presidential campaign already marred by violence and raised questions about how such a thing could have happened for the second time in as many months.US Secret Service agents opened fire on September 15 on a man who was spotted pointing an AK-style rifle through a fence while hiding in the bushes as Trump golfed at his club in West Palm Beach. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described it as an apparent attempted assassination on the GOP nominee.At a Pennsylvania rally in July, Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet when a gunman was able to gain access to an unsecured roof, unleashing a hail of bullets that left one of Trump’s supporters dead and two others badly injured.While the Secret Service has grappled with how to keep Trump safe as he campaigns across the country, holding rallies that often draw thousands, less attention has focused on his protection when he is off the trail, often at his own clubs and properties.The fact that there are places along the perimeter of the property where golfers — including Trump — are visible to those standing behind the fence has long been known to law enforcement. While Trump was president, news photographers were often able to capture images of him on the greens by finding gaps in the shrubbery.While Trump’s plans to golf on September 15 were not part of any public schedule, on days he is not campaigning, he can often be found golfing at one of his courses. Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, about a 10-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago residence, is a favourite. One of three golf clubs he owns in Florida, it boasts 27 holes of championship golf, as well as event spaces. Trump often eats lunch and holds meetings in the clubhouse between rounds. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/AuXUHjKDvxo?si=IHjU_PG-_89uR3OHTrump had just returned from a West Coast swing that included stops in Las Vegas and Utah, and had announced on social media that he would be delivering remarks on September 16 from Mar-a-Lago about cryptocurrency as he launches a new crypto platform.Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw noted at a briefing that because Trump is no longer in office, security protocols around the course had loosened.“He’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, his security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” he told reporters.Law enforcement officials praised the work of the agents assigned to protect Trump. One agent, tasked with jumping one hole ahead of the former president to scope out potential threats, managed to spot the gunman’s rifle barrel sticking out of the fence that surrounds the golf club and “immediately engaged that individual”, Bradshaw said.In an email to campaign staff on September 15, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles credited the Secret Service for saving Trump, who has praised the agents in his own protective detail for their bravery as they rushed on stage to protect him in Butler, Pennsylvania.“President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.Unlike other past presidents and typical VIPs who live in private residences with tall fences or in gated communities, Trump has his official residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. The club is open to dues-paying members, who mingle with the former president at meals and at events and can invite their own guests to the property. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/WNlKqw924MY?si=AumosSrkVcZJhbddMany nights, Trump holds court on the club’s patio, playing DJ with his iPad. While president, he once plotted a response to a North Korean missile launch from the candlelit terrace, the meeting captured and posted on social media by a club member.The club is also a popular Palm Beach venue and hosts a constant stream of fundraisers, weddings and other events that sometimes see Trump drop by unannounced.Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a social media post that the agency is working closely with the FBI, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement to investigate what happened.Trump will be briefed in person by acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe about the investigation, according to a person familiar with the plan who was not authorised to speak publicly.The incident sparked immediate finger-pointing and calls for answers on Capitol Hill.New York representative Elise Stefanik, the House Republican Conference chair and a close ally of the former president, said she was grateful Trump was safe. “However, we must ask ourselves how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again?” she asked in a statement.The leaders of the bipartisan task force that has been investigating the security failures in Pennsylvania said they were monitoring the situation and had requested a briefing from the Secret Service. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/5DvcCjRqsac?si=fioxdZ09LffD944h“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” Pennsylvania representative Mike Kelly (Republican) and Colorado representative Jason Crow (Democrat) said in a joint statement.Meanwhile, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s rivals in the GOP primary, said his state will conduct its own investigation.“The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” he wrote in a social media post.Democratic representative Ro Khanna echoed that message. “Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable,” he wrote. “The Secret Service must come to Congress tomorrow, tell us what resources are needed to expand the protective perimeter, & lets allocate it in a bipartisan vote the same day.”President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “relieved” that Trump was unharmed and said “there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country”.He said he had directed his staff “to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety”.What we know about the suspectThe New York Times, CNN and Fox News have identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, citing unidentified law enforcement officials. The FBI declined to comment. Here is what we know so far about the suspected gunman. medium113393399Gun barrel in bushesThe Secret Service said its agents were accompanying Trump on the golf course, when one who was securing holes ahead of Trump spotted a gun barrel in some bushes near the property line.Multiple agents engaged the gunman and fired at least four rounds at him. The gunman then dropped his AK-47 style rifle, two backpacks, a GoPro camera and other items and fled in a black Nissan car.Sheriff Bradshaw said a witness managed to take a photo of the suspected gunman’s car and licence plate and gave it to authorities.Shortly after, sheriff’s deputies in neighbouring Martin County stopped the suspect on Interstate 95 and took him into custody.Posts on Ukraine, democracyReuters found profiles on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for a Ryan Routh, and public access to the Facebook and X profiles was removed hours after the shooting. The three accounts bearing Routh’s name suggest he was an avid supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia.On April 21, Routh directed an X message to Elon Musk, in which he wrote: “I would like to buy a rocket from you. I wish to load it with a warhead for Putins Black sea mansion bunker to end him. Can you give me a price please.”NYT reported it had interviewed Routh in 2023 for an article about Americans who were volunteering to help the Ukraine war effort. Routh told NYT that he had travelled to Ukraine and spent several months there in 2022 and was trying to recruit Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to fight in Ukraine. medium nocaptionhttp://youtu.be/ApX5a5HhcBc?si=vMZncyf39E582zvz“A lot of the other conflicts are grey but this conflict is definitely black and white. This is about good versus evil,” Routh said in an interview posted by Newsweek Romania in June 2022. His comments suggested he was in Kyiv at the time.Routh said he had initially planned to go to Ukraine to fight, but was not accepted due to his age and lack of military experience. The International Legion, where many foreign fighters in Ukraine serve, said it had no links with Routh.On X in 2020, Routh expressed support for Democratic US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and mocked Biden as “sleepy Joe”.Earlier this year, Routh tagged Biden in a post on X: “@POTUS Your campaign should be called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA ...make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”‘Loving and caring father’The suspected gunman’s son, Adam, reached by Reuters at the hardware store where he works in Hawaii, said he had not yet heard of the newest Trump assassination attempt and had “no information”, adding it was not something he believed his father would do.Later, the reporter called back and a colleague said Adam had gone home because of an emergency.Another son of Routh’s, Oran, told CNN in a statement that “I don’t have any comment beyond a character profile of him as a loving and caring father... I don’t know what’s happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion.”With inputs from Reuters