WASHINGTON: US authorities said they foiled a potential assassination attempt on former prez Donald Trump on Sunday, arresting a man with a gun who was lying in ambush at a Florida resort where the MAGA supremo was golfing.
The man, later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, fled after a Secret Service agent who was securing the course one hole ahead of Trump spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence and fired at him.He ran on foot, jumped into his vehicle parked nearby and drove off before he was arrested after a pursuit.
Authorities said he was unarmed when he was arrested, and they found an AK-47 like rifle with a scope, a Go-pro camera, and a backpack with ceramic tiles in the bushes where he was hiding. The man did not fire at Trump, who was about 500 yards away golfing with a friend.
Soon after the incident, Trump assured his followers that he was safe and well. “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” he posted on his platform “Truth Social.”
He later thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for keeping him safe on what he called “an interesting day.” One lawmaker who spoke to Trump after the incident said he had joked about not being able to complete his round of gold.
In an oblique reference to an earlier assassination attempt on him in Pennsylvania, Trump later wrote, “When you’re “hot” the lowlifes really shoot at you… and they try hitting from every angle! Never let the bastards get you down.”
In separate statements, President Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris expressed relief that Trump was unharmed and said the was no place for political violence in the country, as activists on both sides accused the other of engendering the atmosphere conducive to such violence.
Social media posts matching Routh’s name showed him strongly supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, and urging the US Congress to allow Americans to fight in the conflict.
He had also been in the public eye a few times after encounters with the media and law enforcement. In an NYT interview in 2023, he said he was trying to recruit Afghan solders who fled the Taliban to fight in Ukraine. He had also been arrested in 2002 in Greensboro, North Carolina, after barricading himself inside a building with an automatic weapon.
Tracked down by a tabloid, his estranged son Oran Routh told the Daily Mail that his father was a “great dad” and a “nice guy” and he hates Trump — like “all reasonable people.”
Although Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for acting quickly to protect him, questions raged about how a potential assassin managed to get so close to the former president again.
“There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened in Florida,” Republican lawmaker Elise Stefanik said in a statement.
“Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable. 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,” California Democrat Ro Khanna tweeted.
The Trump campaign meanwhile forwarded the Republican candidate’s message calling unity and peace with a link to a fundraising page soliciting donations. Democrats on their part zeroed in on the issue of gun control, asking how the potential assassin with a criminal record had no problem obtaining an AK-47.
The man, later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, fled after a Secret Service agent who was securing the course one hole ahead of Trump spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence and fired at him.He ran on foot, jumped into his vehicle parked nearby and drove off before he was arrested after a pursuit.
Authorities said he was unarmed when he was arrested, and they found an AK-47 like rifle with a scope, a Go-pro camera, and a backpack with ceramic tiles in the bushes where he was hiding. The man did not fire at Trump, who was about 500 yards away golfing with a friend.
Soon after the incident, Trump assured his followers that he was safe and well. “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” he posted on his platform “Truth Social.”
He later thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for keeping him safe on what he called “an interesting day.” One lawmaker who spoke to Trump after the incident said he had joked about not being able to complete his round of gold.
In an oblique reference to an earlier assassination attempt on him in Pennsylvania, Trump later wrote, “When you’re “hot” the lowlifes really shoot at you… and they try hitting from every angle! Never let the bastards get you down.”
In separate statements, President Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris expressed relief that Trump was unharmed and said the was no place for political violence in the country, as activists on both sides accused the other of engendering the atmosphere conducive to such violence.
Social media posts matching Routh’s name showed him strongly supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, and urging the US Congress to allow Americans to fight in the conflict.
He had also been in the public eye a few times after encounters with the media and law enforcement. In an NYT interview in 2023, he said he was trying to recruit Afghan solders who fled the Taliban to fight in Ukraine. He had also been arrested in 2002 in Greensboro, North Carolina, after barricading himself inside a building with an automatic weapon.
Tracked down by a tabloid, his estranged son Oran Routh told the Daily Mail that his father was a “great dad” and a “nice guy” and he hates Trump — like “all reasonable people.”
Although Trump praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for acting quickly to protect him, questions raged about how a potential assassin managed to get so close to the former president again.
“There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened in Florida,” Republican lawmaker Elise Stefanik said in a statement.
“Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former President & the Republican nominee is unacceptable. 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,” California Democrat Ro Khanna tweeted.
The Trump campaign meanwhile forwarded the Republican candidate’s message calling unity and peace with a link to a fundraising page soliciting donations. Democrats on their part zeroed in on the issue of gun control, asking how the potential assassin with a criminal record had no problem obtaining an AK-47.