One day after being seen in the bushes with a weapon as the former US president played nearby, officials charged a guy who they believe was hidden for almost 12 hours in an apparent attempt to kill Donald Trump at his Florida golf course.
The suspect did not fire a gun and never had the Republican nominee for president in his line of sight on November 5. However, given that the event occurred only two months after another gunman gave Trump a minor ear wound during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, it begged the issue of how an armed man was able to approach him so closely.
Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, told reporters on Monday afternoon that President Trump had not planned to visit his West Palm Beach golf property, and it was unclear if the suspect had been aware of Trump’s visit.
The former president was on the fifth hole’s fairway when an agent surveying the course noticed a rifle barrel sticking out of the bushes a few hundred yards distant.
That’s when the Secret Service opened fire.
“We heard gunfire fired into the air all of a sudden. Probably four or five, I suppose,” Trump remarked at an X Spaces event. “Secret Service took me as soon as they realized it was gunshots. We climbed into the carts and continued pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job.”
While praising the Secret Service agents, he added: “We do need more people on my detail.”
A gunman fled a golf course in Florida, where he was found with a loaded assault-style rifle, scope, digital camera, and food bag. A suspect, identified as Ryan Routh, was arrested about 40 minutes later. Routh was the subject of a 2019 tip to the FBI alleging he was a convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm. He made a brief appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach, where he was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Routh was previously convicted of possessing stolen goods in 2010.
Trump’s campaign schedule will remain unchanged, and he blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the apparent assassination attempt. The Secret Service, which protects U.S. presidents, presidential candidates, and other high-level dignitaries, has been under intense scrutiny since the earlier attempt on Trump’s life. The agency “needs more help,” including possibly more personnel, Biden told reporters on Monday.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who convened a bipartisan task force to investigate the first assassination attempt, told Fox News that Congress would also examine the latest incident, saying, “We need accountability.” Rowe, who took over after Cheatle’s resignation in July, told Congress on July 30 he was “ashamed” of security lapses in the earlier attack. Routh is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and traveled there after Russia’s 2022 invasion, seeking to recruit foreign fighters.
(Reuters)
