A suspect is in custody after an apparent assassination attempt on Sunday against former President Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, aged 58, appears to have been motivated by frustration with U.S. policy on the war in Ukraine.
Shots were fired at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday where Trump, the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, was golfing, according to multiple reports.
The former president, who was uninjured, returned to his home at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach after the incident.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
The investigation continues. Follow Newsweek‘s live blog for updates.
06:30 AM EDT
Former Secret Service agent says agency could start “shoulder-to-shoulder” defense for Trump
A former Secret Service agent said on CNN Monday morning that Trump’s security detail could start a “shoulder-to-shoulder” approach if deemed necessary after a second assassination attempt on the former president.
Cheryl Tyler, a former special agent working for the Secret Service, said that the agency faced issues with staffing when it comes to controlling an area as large as a golf course, and that it was reliant on local law enforcement to provide extra vehicles and staff.
Tyler said: “The fact that the entire golf course was not secured by personnel or cars or fencing- the challenges are there. If you want shoulder-to-shoulder people, that’s usually unrealistic, but if that’s what they think is appropriate, then that may happen.
“The challenge is that they don’t have enough of the correct type of staffing available to them. Secondly, to get that kind of equipment, like vehicles and cars, you’re going to have to rely on every source that you have available to you within that town, and that stays in the city.”
–Theo Burman
06:21 AM EDT
Possibility Ryan Wesley Routh Had Informant ‘Scary’: Ex-FBI Leader
The man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump may have had inside information on his movements, a former FBI assistant director said.
Chris Swecker told Newsweek that law enforcement will have to establish how Ryan Wesley Routh appeared to know the exact details of when Trump was playing golf at a Florida resort.
Read more from Sean O’Driscoll
06:18 AM EDT
President Joe Biden says he has been briefed on ‘possible assassination attempt’
I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today.
A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their…
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 16, 2024
06:16 AM EDT
Zelensky sends good wishes to Trump
I am glad to hear that @realDonaldTrump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family. It’s good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 16, 2024
06:14 AM EDT
Ryan Wesley Routh, Would-be Trump Assassin, Fought in Ukraine, Supports War
Ryan Wesley Routh takes part in a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller reported Sunday afternoon that Routh’s social media accounts have focused on his “self-proclaimed involvement” in the war in Ukraine, including his supposed effort to recruit soldiers to fight in the conflict. Routh also claimed to have fought in Ukraine as it continues to hold off Russia’s invasion.
Routh appears to have previously spoken with The New York Times about his effort to recruit Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to fight in Ukraine. At the time of the report, which was published on March 25, 2023, Routh told the Times that he had spent several months in Ukraine in 2022.
Read more from Barney Henderson and Kaitlin Lewis
