Live blog: FBI confirms gunman at Donald Trump’s Florida golf course

A smiling Donald Trump has been pictured in his golf gear at his Mar-a-Lago home in the aftermath of what the FBI is calling an “attempted assassination”.

Donald Trump has broken cover after what the FBI says was an “attempted assassination” after the former president heard the sounds of gunfire while he was playing golf.

A smiling Mr Trump has been pictured in his golf gear at his Mar-a-Lago home in the aftermath of the shocking incident.

Mr Trump dodged the second attempt on his life in two months, with Secret Service agents opening fire on a gunman who allegedly planned to assassinate the former president while he played golf.

In the latest extraordinary twist in the US election, the Republican candidate was rushed to safety at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, after his security team saw an AK-47-style rifle pointing out from the trees.

It was unclear whether alleged gunman Ryan Routh, 58, took a shot before he fled to his vehicle under fire from the Secret Service. He was later arrested on a nearby highway.

Donald Trump with Speaker Mike Johnson after the incident. Picture: SpeakerJohnson/ X

The FBI confirmed it was investigating the shocking incident as an attempted assassination, two months after Mr Trump was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Political leaders including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris – Mr Trump’s opponent in November’s election – quickly condemned the alleged plot as fresh questions emerged about the security procedures in place to protect Mr Trump.

Local officials acknowledged the golf course was not completely locked down because Mr Trump did not have the same level of protection as Mr Biden, with Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw saying the surrounding shrubbery meant Mr Routh was “pretty much out of sight” even though he was only several hundred metres from the former president.

In a fundraising email to his supporters, Mr Trump assured them he was “safe and well”, saying that his “resolve is only stronger after another attempt on my life”.

“I will never slow down. I will never give up. I WILL NEVER SURRENDER,” he said.

“I thank God every day for having supporters like you on my side. On November 5th, WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

In the aftermath of the incident, he told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he heard “pop pop, pop pop” ring out on the course, before he was surrounded by Secret Service personnel.

Mr Trump later told his golfing partner Steve Witkoff: “I really wanted to finish the hole – I was even (par) and I had a birdie putt.”

A witness spotted Mr Routh running out of the bushes and jumping into a black Nissan SUV, a dramatic escape that was also tracked by Secret Service drones overhead.

While police gave chase, the agents identified what appeared to be the sniper’s nest, finding the rifle, two backpacks and a GoPro which Mr Bradshaw alleged Mr Routh planned to use to take pictures.

Authorities discovered an AK-47-style rifle, a GoPro and two backpacks with ceramic tiles in them at the suspect’s alleged sniper’s nest on the golf course. Picture: X

Martin County police officers surrounded the alleged gunman half an hour later on a highway, with Sheriff William Snyder saying: “We did not give him an opportunity to put up a fight.”

The suspect was unarmed and “not displaying a lot of emotion”, Mr Snyder said, adding that “he never questioned it” as he was arrested.

Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg confirmed local authorities were working on charging Mr Routh, which was likely to be followed by federal charges.

But his son Oran defended him, telling CNN it was not like his father “to do anything crazy, much less violent”, and that he hoped the incident had been “blown out of proportion”.

In the hours after the incident, it emerged that the North Carolina man had a lengthy criminal record, including barricading himself in a business with a weapon in a three-hour standoff with police in 2002.

Mr Routh, who now lives in Hawaii, posted regularly online about the war in Ukraine, even visiting to help recruit foreign soldiers and saying he was willing to die to defend the country.

He said on social media that he had voted for Mr Trump in 2016, before turning against the former president and saying that “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot” this November.

Ms Harris said in a statement that she was glad Mr Trump was safe, adding that “violence has no place in America”.

Mr Biden echoed her words and said he had directed his team to ensure the Secret Service “has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president’s continued safety”.

“As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,” he said.

As Republicans questioned the security arrangements in place for Mr Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “No leader in American history has endured more attacks and remained so strong and resilient. He is unstoppable.”

Cars are stuck in traffic after police blocked the road in West Palm Beach, Florida, following the shooting. Picture: AFP

The FBI is also continuing to investigate the motive for 20-year-old Thomas Crooks’s attack on Mr Trump two months ago, while US intelligence agencies have been working to disrupt an Iranian assassination plot against the former president.

His campaign office in West Palm Beach was also temporarily locked down after the incident, with his campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles telling staff to “remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings”.

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Originally published as Live blog: FBI confirms gunman at Donald Trump’s Florida golf course