Trump second assassination attempt: How US Secret Service saved the former president

It’s been a tumultuous few months ahead of the US presidential election. There was yet another assassination attempt on Republican nominee Donald Trump. This time he escaped unscathed.

The shooting took place at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was rushed to safety on Sunday after what the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump”.

“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

A suspect named by the US media as Ryan Wesley Routh has been detained.

Here’s what we know about the attack and how the US Secret Service, responsible for Trump’s safety, sprung into action.

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How the US Secret Service foiled the assassination attempt

The apparent assassination attempt took place at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, nearly 15 minutes from Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s Florida residence.

Trump was playing golf with donor Steve Witkoff when the gunman was spotted by the Secret Service, say sources. They were sweeping the course ahead of the Republican leader as he played.

The agents go a hole ahead to conduct security checks, police were quoted as saying by the BBC.

The muzzle of a rifle was seen sticking through the shrubbery along the golf course. Trump was about 300-500 yards (272-557 metres) away from the gunman then, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

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Who is Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspected gunman in Donald Trump’s second assassination attempt?

A Secret Service agent “immediately engaged” with the gunman who fled from the spot, he said.

The Secret Service detail opened fire at the armed suspect after spotting him at the edge of the Golf Course. The officials said that it was not clear if the would-be assassin fired shots.

“Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, and their agent did a fantastic job,” Bradshaw said talking to the media.

The sheriff said that Palm Beach County Police received a call from the US Secret Service at 1.30 pm on Sunday that shots had been fired. The area was sealed off immediately.

Donald Trump Jr, the former president’s son said, that authorities had found an AK-47 rifle in the bushes. “Again folks! SHOTS FIRED at Trump Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, per local law enforcement," he wrote in a post on X.

Again folks!

SHOTS FIRED at Trump Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, per local law enforcement. The Trump campaign has released a statement confirming former President Trump is safe.

A suspect has reportedly been apprehended. pic.twitter.com/FwRfrO3v6y

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 15, 2024

How was the suspect caught?

Secret Service agents fired four to five rounds of ammunition at the gunman. He dropped the rifle and two backpacks and fled in a black Nissan car.

A witness saw the gunman and took photos of his car and the licence plate, said the sheriff. He provided the details to law enforcement. The suspect was then apprehended by the police after he crossed into the neighbouring Martin Country, roughly 61 km from the golf course.

Officials told CBS News that the suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh. The 58-year-old man from North Carolina had had previous encounters with law enforcement, court documents reveal.

In the press conference, the Palm Beach County sheriff said that the suspect was relatively calm when held.

A scope used for aiming the gun and a GoPro camera, with which he intended to record the footage, were recovered from the golf course. The bags were filled with ceramic tiles. Photos of the weapon and the backpack were displayed at the press briefing.

Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Miami field office, said in the briefing that the agency is “not sure yet if (the) individual was able to take a shot at our agents.”

Law enforcement officials have not named the suspect officially. The immediate motive is also unknown.

Is Trump safe?

Yes, Trump was not injured during the firing.

“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL,” the former president said in a statement to his fundraising list.

Trump spoke to Fox News anchor Sean Hannity, who retold the incident on air. “Within seconds, the Secret Service pounced on the president and covered him,” Hannity said. “You had snipers with tripods. They knew the direction where the shots had been fired. And they had eyes on the location where the shots had been fired.”

According to the anchor, Trump was whisked away to the guest house by Secret Service.

Trump thanked the US Secret Service and other law enforcement officials. “The job done was absolutely outstanding,” he posted on Truth Social.

“I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day! Most importantly, I want to thank the US Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE.”

What do we know about the investigation?

The FBI is leading the investigation along with other law enforcement agencies.

Jeffrey Veltri from the FBI Miami Field Office told the media, “We’ve deployed a number of resources, including investigative teams, crisis response team members, bomb technicians and evidence response team members.” He said that “full resources” of the FBI along with the Secret Service, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s office and the Martin County Sheriff’s office were mobilised, reports BBC.

Did the Secret Service fail once again?

Questions will once again be raised on the capability of the US Secret Service. This is the second assassination attempt on Trump in two months.

In July, Trump was shot by a gunman during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in what the FBI said was an attempted assassination. The former president was wounded in the ear.

Amid scrutiny over security lapses at the rally, US Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned. She had called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.

With inputs from agencies