Donald Trump was playing golf when shots were suddenly fired near him. The Secret Service had discovered the barrel of a machine gun in the bushes.
According to the FBI, there was an assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday. According to authorities, Trump was playing golf on his golf course in West Palm Beach when shots were fired nearby. The 78-year-old Republican was then brought to safety. Videos show how Trump was taken from the golf course to his Mar-a-Lago estate in his motorcade after the incident.
The Secret Service spotted the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the bushes near the property line at around 1:30 p.m. (local time), police said. Trump was playing golf about 400 to 500 yards (roughly 370 to 460 meters) away, said Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
An AK-47 assault rifle with a telescopic sight, two backpacks and a GoPro camera were found in the bushes, with which the suspect apparently wanted to film the incident, the sheriff said. The Secret Service opened fire and the suspect fled. The man was later arrested. Bradshaw did not provide any information about a possible motive.
“There have been gunshots in my area, but before the rumors get out of control: I am fine, I am safe,” Trump himself wrote in an email to campaign donors. The former US president was combative towards his supporters. “I will NEVER SURRENDER!” he wrote in the email, US media reports.
In a statement, the Office of the President said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris – Trump’s Democratic rival – were relieved that the former incumbent was safe. Harris wrote on the short message service X that violence has no place in the United States.
Trump had already been the victim of an assassination attempt on July 13 in Pennsylvania, in which he was injured in the ear. The attacker was killed. The director of the Secret Service subsequently resigned. The service is responsible for the security of current and former presidents, among other things.
The images of the bleeding Republican with his fist raised in the air went around the world. The suspected perpetrator was shot by a Secret Service sniper. After the assassination attempt on Trump, the then Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle resigned. At least five officials were placed on leave.
Note: An earlier version of the text also referred to the New York Post’s reporting. The conservative tabloid newspaper had reported, citing several sources, that the shots had been fired in front of the golf club and that there had been two shooters. The situation has since changed.
