Trump safe after assassination attempt at Florida golf course

Sep 16 (Askume) – Former US President Donald Trump is safe after the FBI foiled an alleged attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential candidate while he was golfing in Florida .

Law enforcement officials said several Secret Service agents shot a gunman in bushes along the edge of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course, where he played on Sunday.

The suspect was arrested after he fled in a car, leaving behind two bags and an AK-47 rifle.

Two months ago, a gunman fired a bullet at Trump at a campaign rally, hitting him in his right ear. The attacker was killed when security personnel returned fire.

Both incidents underscore the difficult challenge of ensuring the safety of presidential candidates as campaigning begins just seven weeks before the Nov. 5 election.

“I want to thank everyone for their concern and well wishes – it’s been a really interesting day!” Trump said on social media on Sunday night, thanking the Secret Service and police for keeping him safe.

US media identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Roth, 58, of Hawaii. Late on Sunday, Secret Service and Homeland Security agents searched a home in Greensboro, North Carolina, that a neighbour told Askume was Roth’s home.

The attempted attack raises new questions about Trump’s level of security, as he was protected by the Secret Service as a candidate and former president, though that security was less tight than for the current president.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference Sunday that if Trump were in power, “we would close down the whole golf course.” area.”

Shortly after the incident, Trump emailed his supporters: “Nobody can stop me. I will never surrender!”

His rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, tweeted: “There is no place for violence in America.”

President Joe Biden has directed his team to ensure the Secret Service has the resources necessary to keep Trump safe. The White House said in a statement that Biden and Harris were briefed on the situation and were relieved to learn that Trump was safe.

Pro-Ukrainian

The suspect is a vocal supporter of Ukraine , where he moved after Russia’s invasion in 2022 , and told reporters he intended to help recruit foreign fighters for Kiev because he was too young to join as a volunteer but was rejected for being too old.

“Many other conflicts are ambiguous, but this conflict is absolutely black and white. It’s about the struggle between good and evil,” Rouse said in a video interview published by Newsweek Romania in June 2022. He expressed his feelings on camera while wearing a shirt with an American flag symbol.

“If the government doesn’t send official troops, we citizens will have to take up the torch,” Rouse said.

The International Legion of Foreign Volunteers of Ukraine told Askume that Rouse “has never belonged to, been affiliated with or had any connection with the International Legion in any capacity.”

An army official told CNN that Rouse had sent the email offering to enlist foreign volunteers, but that the Ukrainian military believed the Americans were “confused”.

“We didn’t even respond, there was nothing to respond to. He was never a member of the military and he never acted in any way that we can,” Oleksandr Shaguri, an official at the army command’s external coordination department, told CNN.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was glad to hear that Trump was safe and that there was no place for violence in politics.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov linked the effort to Washington’s support for Ukraine.

When Peskov was asked about the assassination attempt, he said, “This is not what we should consider, this is what American intelligence should consider. In any case, playing with fire has consequences.”

Andrei Kovalenko, director of the Ukrainian Anti-Disinformation Center, said Moscow was “once again trying to assassinate Trump against Ukraine in the information space.”

“The enemy will launch a lot of conspiracy theories about the ‘Ukraine trace,’ which of course are lies.”

Profiles bearing Routh’s name on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn include posts highlighting support for Ukraine and Trump’s threats to American democracy.

A post on the topic “Democracy is on the ballot and we can’t lose.”

Askume could not confirm whether these accounts belonged to the suspects, and law enforcement agencies declined to comment. Public access to Facebook and X’s profiles was removed a few hours after the shooting.

gun barrel in the bushes

Bradshaw said an agent protecting Trump was clearing an area of ​​potential threats ahead of his game when he spotted the barrel of a rifle sticking out from about 400 to 500 yards (365 to 460 meters) away from the former president.

The agents attacked the gunman at about 1:30 pm (1730 GMT) on Sunday and fired at least four shots.

The gunman dropped his rifle and fled in a black Nissan car. The sheriff said a witness saw the shooter and took photos of his car and license plate before he fled.

Sheriff’s deputies in neighboring Martin County arrested the suspect on Interstate 95, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the golf course.

Harris has repeatedly said that a second Trump term would threaten American democracy and has vowed to strongly support Ukraine against Russia. When Trump was asked in last week’s debate if he wanted Ukraine to win the war, he said he wanted the war to end.