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The FBI said it was investigating a shooting near former US President Donald Trump on Sunday as an “apparent assassination attempt.”
Trump’s campaign said the Republican presidential candidate was safe after shots were fired “in his immediate vicinity” in Florida.
A US Secret Service spokesman also confirmed that Trump was safe after the shooting at the Trump International Golf Course.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said at a news conference that the Secret Service spotted a gun barrel sticking out from between a fence.
The suspect was between 270 and 450 meters away from Trump, who was playing golf at the time, Bradshaw said.
Secret Service spokesman Rafael Barros said the suspect was shot by the Secret Service. Bradshaw added that it was not clear whether the man also fired shots. No injuries were reported.
The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended by local police, who found an AK-47 assault rifle with a telescopic sight and a camera in the bushes at the scene, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw.
In a fundraising message sent shortly after the incident, Trump said gunfire had been heard in the area around him.
Trump wrote: “But before the rumors start spreading, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and well!”
“Nothing will stop me. I will never give up! I will always love you for supporting me,” he continued.
“There are no additional details at this time,” Trump spokesman Stephen Cheung said in a brief statement from the campaign, as did Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi in a post on X.
In Washington, the White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed on the shooting.
Biden praised the efforts of the Secret Service and security teams for their “vigilance and efforts” to keep Trump and those around him safe.
“I am glad the former president was unharmed,” Biden said in a statement.
“I have always said that there is no place for political violence or any violence in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities and security measures necessary to ensure the safety of the former president,” he continued.
Harris wrote on Twitter that she was glad Trump was safe.
“Violence has no place in America,” she continued.
J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, said he spoke to him before the news was announced.
“He was in amazingly good spirits,” he wrote on X. “There’s still so much we don’t know.”
It is noteworthy that on July 13, a gunman opened fire on Trump from a nearby rooftop during a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
Trump was shot in the right ear, and the assailant was killed by security forces a short time later. One man died and two others were injured at the rally.
