After an incident on the edge of Donald Trump’s golf course, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) suspects a possible assassination attempt on the Republican presidential candidate. According to the Secret Service, the ex-president’s bodyguards opened fire on Sunday in Florida at an armed man who was hiding in the bushes on the edge of the golf course. A suspect fled but was arrested a short time later. According to US media, he is a 58-year-old Ukraine supporter.
The FBI says it is investigating an “attempted assassination” on Trump. According to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, the 78-year-old was playing golf on the course in West Palm Beach near his Mar-a-Lago estate when Secret Service bodyguards spotted a gun barrel sticking out of a fence a few hundred meters away. After officers fired shots, the suspect initially fled in a black car. With the help of a witness, police officers were able to track him down a short time later and arrest the suspect.
“President Trump is safe after a shooting near him,” said his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung. The Republican presidential candidate himself wrote on a fundraising website: “Do not be afraid! I am safe and sound and no one was hurt. Thank God!” He later thanked the Secret Service and Sheriff Bradshaw, among others, on his Truth Social platform for the “incredible job” they had done. He added: “It was certainly an interesting day!”
A White House statement said President Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris had been briefed on the incident and were “relieved” that Trump was safe. “Violence has no place in America,” Harris, who is running against Trump in November’s presidential election, told X. “I have directed my team to continue to ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities and protections necessary to continue to ensure the former president’s safety,” Biden said.
An assault rifle with a telescopic sight, two backpacks and a GoPro video camera were found at the fence of the golf course. The suspect was about 300 to 500 yards (274 to 457 meters) away from Trump, but “with a rifle and a telescopic sight like that, that’s not a great distance,” said Sheriff Bradshaw. It was initially unclear whether the suspect fired shots before fleeing.
Sheriff William Snyder from the neighboring Martin County told CNN that the suspect appeared “fairly calm” when he was arrested: “He didn’t show much emotion.” There was initially no information on the motive for the alleged assassination attempt.
The television channels CNN and CBS reported that the arrested man was Ryan R., who had made critical comments about Trump in online services in the past. If this is confirmed, the suspect would not be a complete stranger: R. had traveled to Kyiv after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to support national defense – and had been interviewed there by the AFP news agency, among others.
CNN and CBS reported that R. is an independent developer of affordable housing in Hawaii who has been arrested several times in recent decades. In March 2022, according to the New York Times, R. announced on the online service X that he wanted to travel to Ukraine. He was ready “to fight and die”. AFP interviewed him at a demonstration in Kyiv at the end of April. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “terrorist who must be stopped”.
Only two months ago, Trump was slightly injured in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania. One bystander was killed and two others seriously injured; the assassin was shot by a Secret Service sniper.
After the assassination attempt on Trump in July, there was severe criticism of the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting current and former US presidents. The then Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle resigned and at least five officials were placed on leave.
