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Jimmy Williams
A man has been arrested following an alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. The FBI is investigating the incident as the second assassination attempt against Trump in just two months.
The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, appeared in federal court on Monday, facing two firearm charges. According to law enforcement officials, Routh fled the scene after a Secret Service agent spotted him holding a rifle near the tree line of the Trump International Golf Club. Trump, who was playing golf at the time, was unharmed.
“Thankfully, the suspect did not get a shot off, and President Trump was never in his line of sight,” said Acting Secret Service Director Ron Rowe at a press conference Monday.
The Secret Service agent opened fire on Routh, who managed to flee the scene in a black Nissan SUV. A witness was able to photograph the vehicle’s license plate, leading to Routh’s arrest in Martin County, Florida.
Authorities recovered an AR-style rifle, two backpacks, and a digital camera at the scene. The serial number on the weapon had been obliterated, according to the FBI’s criminal complaint. Routh, a convicted felon, is facing charges of possession of a firearm as a felon and altering a firearm’s serial number. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
Trump’s campaign issued a statement following the incident, blaming Democrats and the media for creating a hostile environment. “Democrats and the Fake News must immediately cease their inflammatory, violent rhetoric against President Trump — which was mimicked by yesterday’s would-be assassin,” the campaign said.
The Trump campaign confirmed that the former president was safe and returned to his Mar-a-Lago resort shortly after the incident. Trump’s spokesperson also noted that the incident would not affect his upcoming campaign schedule, which includes rallies in Michigan and North Carolina later this week.
This is the second assassination attempt on Trump in two months. In July, the former president was injured during a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman in that case was killed by Secret Service agents, and one Trump supporter was fatally shot.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida would conduct its own investigation into the latest incident, stating, “The people deserve the truth about the would-be assassin and how he was able to get so close to the former president.” DeSantis has called for a full review of security measures surrounding Trump’s public appearances.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the attack, with Biden stating, “Violence has no place in our democracy, and I’m relieved the former president is unharmed.”
Routh, who has a prior felony conviction in North Carolina, was also known for his activism in Ukraine’s war against Russia. He reportedly published an e-book about his experiences in Ukraine, where he recruited Afghan soldiers to join the fight against Russia. Investigations into his motives and connections are ongoing.
Routh is being held in pretrial detention, with a hearing scheduled for September 23.
