Former US president Donald Trump was uninjured after an individual opened fire at his golf course in Florida on Sunday, the Trump campaign said in a statement.
The FBI said in a statement it responded to West Palm Beach Florida and was investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”
“President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” said Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman.
According to two people briefed on the incident, the former president was golfing at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach early Sunday afternoon when agents heard gunshots. He was taken away to a holding room at the club.
The Secret Service has long been concerned about Trump’s vulnerability on his golf courses, which remain open to parts of the public and are often near heavily trafficked areas.
No one was believed to have been hit by the shots, the people said.
A weapon, reportedly an AK-47 style rifle, was recovered, reports said.
It was unclear who the shooter or shooters were, or what the motive was. There was no immediate indication that Trump had been targeted.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the incident occurred shortly before 2pm. The Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are jointly investigating the shooting and “will have more details soon,” Guglielmi said on X. He repeated that Trump “is safe.”
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office will have a news conference at 3:20pm.
According to a Secret Service official briefed on the matter, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detained a suspect on Florida’s Interstate 95 after he appeared to flee the scene on foot.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident, the White House said in a statement. The two are “relieved to know that he is safe,” the White House said, and they will be updated on the case.
It comes just two months after an assassination attempt on the Republican presidential candidate.
Thomas Matthew Crooks fired multiple shots at Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. One bullet grazed the former President’s ear.
– with AFP
