ReutersDonald Trump was airlifted to safety Sunday after what the FBI called an apparent assassination attempt at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested as a suspect and charged with firearms offenses.
The incident comes almost exactly two months after a shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left the Republican nominee with minor injuries and killed a man in the crowd.
Here’s what we know as of Sunday.
How was the suspect seen?
The incident unfolded at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, about 15 minutes from Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.
A gun was first seen by Secret Service agents, who were sweeping the course. Agents usually go one step ahead to conduct security checks, according to police.
The muzzle of a rifle – which has been identified as an SKS model – was spotted sticking through the bushes lining the course.
At the time, Trump was about 300-500 yards (275-460 m) from where he was, he said.
An officer “immediately engaged” the person holding the gun, who fled, Sheriff Rik Bradshaw said. The suspect did not fire his weapon during the incident.
On September 16, Secret Service Director Ron Rowe said Trump was “across the course and out of sight of the sixth green” when the Secret Service agent opened fire.
At no point is it believed that the suspect had a clear line of sight to the former president.
Records show Routh’s phone was in the area for about 12 hours, from about 0200 to 1331 local time, according to court documents and police officials.
How was the suspect caught?
The agents fired four to five rounds of ammunition sighting the muzzle of the gun.
The suspect dropped the gun and fled in a vehicle, leaving behind the weapon along with two backpacks, a scope for his gun and a GoPro camera, Sheriff Bradshaw said.
A witness saw the man fleeing the bushes in a black Nissan, the sheriff said. The witness captured a photo of the car and provided it to police.
The suspect was arrested by police driving north on I-95 after crossing Martin County, about 61 km (38 miles) from Trump’s golf course.
The car, a Nissan SUV, was later determined to have license plates belonging to a 2012 Ford that had been reported stolen.
Who is Ryan Routh?
From the Martin County Sheriff’s OfficeRouth has an extensive criminal history dating back to the 1990s.
In 2002, he was convicted in Greensboro, North Carolina, of possession of a fully automatic machine gun – characterized as a weapon of “death and mass destruction.”
In March 2010, he was convicted in North Carolina of multiple counts of possession of stolen property.
In 2019, the FBI also received a tip that Routh was a felon in possession of a firearm. The unverified tip was forwarded to local law enforcement in Honolulu.
He visited Ukraine after the full invasion of Russia and tried to recruit volunteers to fight for Kiev. The International Legion of Foreign Fighters said he was never a member, and a volunteer said he was an obstacle during his visit.
Getty ImagesWhat happened to Trump?
Trump was not injured. Shortly after, he posted a statement to his fundraising list, which read: “There have been guns in my neighborhood, but before the rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and well”.
Trump gave his account to cryptocurrency personality Farokh Sarmad during a livestream on Twitter on Monday saying: “Everything was a great, great place to be, and all of a sudden we heard shots fired in the air.”
Trump, who was on the fifth hole at the time, said he heard what sounded like four or five shots.
He said the Secret Service knew “immediately” that shots had been fired, they grabbed Trump and “they all got in the (golf) carts, and we moved on.”
“I was with an agent and the agent did a fantastic job, there was no doubt that we were off course,” Trump said.
The gunshots appeared to be from an agent shooting Routh, Trump said in the livestream.
“The Secret Service did a great job, everybody did a great job,” he said later in the interview.
Was there a political backlash?
The former president sought to blame President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris — his rival in the November election — for the attempt.
“Their rhetoric makes me fired up, when I’m the one who’s going to save the country, and they’re the ones who are destroying the country — both from the inside and from the outside,” Trump said.
The White House said Biden and Harris have been briefed on the incident.
“I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt on former President Trump today,” Harris said in a statement.
Leaders of the bipartisan congressional task force created to investigate the July 13 assassination attempt in Pennsylvania said they were thankful the former president was not injured, “but remain deeply concerned.”
The task force requested a briefing with the Secret Service.
Trump supporters gathered around the former president’s residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, after the incident, as well as around the golf club where the investigation is underway.
Some of them were photographed wearing Maga (Make America Great Again) hats, and waving banners, posters and American flags that said “America first”.
What happens next?
Routh appeared in court for a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes on Monday.
It was not an indictment – meaning he did not appeal the charge – but the charge against him was read in court. They included possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number.
He will be back in court next Monday.
Palm Beach County State’s Attorney Dave Aronberg told US media that Routh could face “a lot of time in prison.” The charges against him carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The FBI is now leading the investigation.
Trump will appear publicly for the first time since the assassination attempt at a town hall Tuesday night in Flint, Michigan.
