The FBI said Sunday it was investigating “an apparent assassination attempt” on Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential candidate survived another assassination attempt. Trump said he was safe and unharmed.
U.S. intelligence opened fire on a man who pointed an AK-style rifle at the club while Trump was on the golf course, three law enforcement officials said. The man dropped the weapon and fled in an SUV. He was later arrested in a neighboring county. The officials were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
An AK-type firearm was recovered at the scene near the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, two of the officers said. No injuries were reported.
The incident was the latest shocking moment in a campaign year marked by unprecedented upheaval. It occurred about two months after Trump Assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania and a the bullet grazed his earJust a week later, President Joe Biden withdrew from the race.
In an email to his supporters, Trump wrote: “There have been gunshots near me, but before the rumor mill gets out of control, I want you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND I AM FINE!”
“Nothing will stop me. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” said the former president.
The golf course was partially closed to Trump during his game, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed the person with the firearm, officials said. There are several areas around the property where golfers are visible from the fence. Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs typically secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump when he is golfing. Agents also typically bring an armored vehicle onto the course to quickly provide protection for Trump in the event of a threat.
Trump returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast tour that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a fundraiser in Utah. His campaign had not disclosed Trump’s plans for Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf before eating lunch at his club, one of three he owns in the state.
Since the assassination attempt in July, security measures against the former president have been stepped up. When he was at Trump Tower in New York, a row of dump trucks was parked in a wall in front of the building. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind a bulletproof glass fence.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Trump was safely returned to his private Mar-a-Lago club, where he lives in neighboring Palm Beach, after the incident.
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and were being kept updated on the status of the investigation. The White House added that it was “relieved” to know that Trump was safe.
Harris said in a statement that she was “glad” that Trump was safe, adding that “violence has no place in America.”
In an X-post, Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C, one of Trump’s key allies in Congress, said he had spoken to Trump after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and “one of the strongest people I have ever known.”
Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said the suspect was arrested minutes after the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office issued a “very urgent BOLO” alert with information about the vehicle being sought, its license plate number and a description of the occupant.
Snyder said his officers “immediately flooded” northbound I-95, targeting every exit between the Palm Beach County border to the south and the St. Lucie County border to the north.
“One of my patrol cars saw the vehicle, found the matching license plate frame and we made our way to the vehicle,” Snyder said. “We were able to clamp down on the car, bring it to a safe stop and arrest the driver.”
Snyder told WPTV the suspect “was not armed when we got him out of the car.”
The man had a calm, composed demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Snyder said. In addition, the suspect did not ask why he was stopped.
“He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously there were police officers with long guns and flashing lights, there was a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.
A Justice Department spokeswoman said Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the situation and receives regular updates.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office post stated that the suspect was arrested near Palm City, Florida, about 45 miles north of Trump’s golf course. The northbound lanes of I-95 were closed, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A message sent to campaign staff requesting information on the security situation and whereabouts of Trump’s vice presidential candidate and Senator JD Vance of Ohio did not receive an immediate response.
Max Egusquiza of Palm Beach described the emergency response outside Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach.
“From what I saw, five black, unmarked SUVs blocked a gray Mercedes in front of the golf course. About 20 or more police cars fled from the surrounding streets,” he said.
Trump is scheduled to speak live about cryptocurrencies on social media site X on Monday night to launch his son’s crypto platform. He is expected to do so from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The former president is scheduled to return to the campaign trail on Tuesday to attend a town hall meeting in Flint, Michigan, with his former press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, followed by a campaign rally on Wednesday in New York on Long Island.
He is scheduled to attend and speak at the Israel-American Council National Summit in Washington, DC later this week and hold a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday.