3 days Ago By USA TODAY
Law enforcement officials on Monday were trying to learn more about a man taken into custody for what the FBI says was an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump while he was golfing Sunday in Florida. The Republican presidential nominee was at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach around 2 p.m.
when Secret Service agents opened fire on a suspect with a gun in some bushes near the property line. The suspect dropped an AK-47-style assault rifle, two backpacks, a GoPro camera and other items and fled before being taken into custody a short time later. David Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, told the USA TODAY Network that the suspect is , 58, and that federal authorities have taken over the case.
Trump, who was not injured, thanked the Secret Service and local authorities for their efforts to protect him. It was the second assassination attempt against Trump in two months. Trump was injured in July when a gunman opened fire on the former president while he was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
A bullet grazed Trump’s ear. Sunday's incident comes as the political atmosphere is growing more divisive ahead of the November election. Earlier Sunday, Trump posted " " on his Truth Social platform.
And running mate Sen. J.D.
Vance, R-Ohio, doubled down on a controversial statements about immigrants, saying he had " " for that led to The former president’s first public comment on the incident came in an 11:36 p.m. Truth Social post thanking supporters and praising the Secret Service and law enforcement.
“I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!” He added: “Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. 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.
THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” A witness saw the suspect running from the golf course bushes and took a picture of his vehicle that led to his quick apprehension, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference Sunday. The witness saw the suspect jump into a black Nissan and was able to take a picture of the vehicle and tag, Bradshaw said.
As a result, authorities were able to alert the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, who detained the suspect. The witness also was able to then identify the suspect. Asked by reporters how this incident could have happened given the previous attempt on Trump's life, Bradshaw described the golf course as being "surrounded by shrubbery" with a limited perimeter.
“When somebody gets into the shrubbery, they're pretty much out of sight," he said. Because Trump is not a sitting president, Bradshaw said, "security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible," but that will likely change in the future. "I would imagine the next time he comes at a golf course, there'll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter, but the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done," Bradshaw saidl "They provided exactly what the protection should have been, and their agent did a fantastic job.
" The Secret Service had an elevated presence around when he was golfing on Sunday and thwarted after an agent in front of him spotted a rifle through the shrubbery. Experts say agents in West Palm Beach appeared to have handled the situation properly two months after the Secret Service following an assassination attempt at an outdoor rally in July, when a gunman with an AR-style rifle shot at the GOP nominee from . But the recent incident at one of Trump's golf clubs in Florida underscores the challenges in protecting a presidential candidate who likes to keep a high public profile – including hitting the links and holding outdoor rallies, those experts told USA TODAY.
said "there is no place for political violence" following vowing to make sure the Secret Service has "every resource" for Trump's safety. Biden, in a written statement Sunday evening, said his team has briefed him on what the FBI is investigating as an apparent assassination attempt against Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Biden commended the work of the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners "for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe.
" "I am relieved that the former president is unharmed," Biden said. "There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened. As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country.
" Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Jason Crow, D-Colo.
, the chair and top Democrat on the House task force investigating the first assassination attempt against Trump, have requested a briefing with the Secret Service over Sunday’s incident. “The Task Force is monitoring this attempted assassination of former President Trump in West Palm Beach this afternoon. We have requested a briefing with the U.
S. Secret Service about what happened and how security responded,” Kelly and Crow said in a joint statement, saying they would “share updates as we learn more.” The House task force was created to investigate the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump in Pennsylvania.
.
