- Assassination attempt happened at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida
- US Secret Service agents noticed an AK-47 poking through shrubbery around the course
- 58-year-old Ryan Routh has been arrested and named as the suspect
A pro-Ukraine activist has been arrested for the alleged attempted assassination on Donald Trump.
The US Presidential candidate was once again targeted by a gunman, after narrowly avoiding an attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania in July. This time, howvever, the suspect was spotted by US Secret Service agents as the muzzle of his AK-47 poked through the shrubbery surrounding Trump’s golf course.
The suspect has been named as Ryan Routh, a 58-year-old from North Carolina, who has, in recent years, visited Ukraine and attempted to recruit soldiers to fight in the country’s war with Russia.
The agents were stationed a few holes up from where Trump had been playing, when they noticed the firearm, roughly 400 yards away. One of the agents fired,at which point Routh is reported to have fled the scene in an SUV, leaving his gun behind along with a backpack, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, as revealed by Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
Routh was stopped by law enforcement in neighbouring Martin County. Sheriff William Snyder told reporters his officers followed the SUV before making a “felony stop”.
“Our road units picked the vehicle up and we waited a while. We didn’t stop him right away. We didn’t want a high-speed chase. So we were able to wait until we had adequate units, surrounded the vehicle, and forced it to a stop.”
One witness said he saw “20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets.”
“From what I saw, five black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course,” Max Egusquiza told the AP news agency.
Palm Beach County’s state attorney Dave Aronberg later told MSNBC that Routh was “lying in wait” for Trump and said he does not believe Routh would have needed to fire his rifle to be charged with attempted assassination. Routh has been detained in custody and is expected to appear before a judge today.
Later on, Trump confirmed that he was OK in a fundraising email to his supporters.
“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!
“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me.
“Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again. May God bless you.”
