Donald Trump assassination attempt as it happened: Suspect identified by Florida Police after shooting at golf course

• Donald Trump was playing golf at his own course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday afternoon (US time).
• Secret Service agents were scoping out the next holes on the golf course when they spotted a gun barrel poking out of the bushes.
• Agents engaged the gunman and fired at least four rounds of ammunition about 1.30pm Florida time (3.30am AEST on Monday).
• The gunman then dropped his rifle, two backpacks and other items and fled.
• Police in a neighbouring county detected the car and apprehended the suspect.
• The suspect has been identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh and is now in custody.
• Trump is safe. Secret Service agents took him to a holding room at the club, The Washington Post reported.

With AP

An apparent attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida has rocked a presidential campaign already marred by violence and raised questions about how such a thing could have happened for the second time in as many months.

You can read the latest developments here.

This concludes our live coverage of the suspected attempted assassination of Trump in Florida.

Thank you for reading.

In the two years before the attempted shooting, Ryan Wesley Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion.

In April 2022, two months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Routh, on social media platform X, posted to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: “I am here in kyiv and want to use Independence Park to create a tent city of all the foreigners here in support to get thousands more foreign civilians to come and support Ukraine ... We can raise great support and equipment.”

Weeks after Russia’s invasion, Routh posted: “I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE”.

US media outlet Semafor reported that, last year, Routh had acted as the leader of a group called the International Volunteer Centre, which sought to bring foreign troops to Ukraine to assist Kyiv.

Semafor cited its own March 7, 2023 interview with Routh in which the American – who is now a suspect in the Florida assassination attempt – expressed frustration with Ukraine over its willingness to accept foreign fighters.

Agencies

New York Times reporter Thomas Gibbons-Neff had been working on a story about foreign fighters and volunteers in Ukraine last year. In the course, of his reporting, he spoke to Ryan Wesley Routh, who Gibbons-Neff said, appeared ill-prepared for his self-selected project of raising an army of Afghan soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

“He talked of buying off corrupt officials, forging passports and doing whatever it takes to get his Afghan cadre to Ukraine, but he had no real way to accomplish his goals,” Gibbons-Neff reported.

Routh, with no military experience whatsoever, proposed arranging a US military plane to transport Afghans from Iraq to Poland.

As The New York Times reporter wrote: “I shook my head. It sounded ridiculous and indeed it was, but the tone in Mr. Routh’s voice said otherwise. He was going to back Ukraine’s war effort, no matter what.”

A senior adviser for the Trump campaign has posted a comment from Donald Trump on X, thanking the public for its support and statements of concern and adding, “It was certainly an interesting day!”

Trump thanked the Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his office.

“THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN,” he said.

US Vice President Kamala Harris has released a statement in relation to the Trump assassination attempt on Sunday afternoon and condemned political violence.

This is the statement in full:

I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.

I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the US Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance. As President Biden said, our administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.