Trump shooting attempt: suspect had ‘delusional ideas’ about supporting war effort, says Ukrainian official – live

11.10am BST

Closing summary …

• Questions will be asked again about the security arrangements around Donald Trump after it appeared he was the victim of a second assassination bid in the space of two months

• Security forces apprehended a suspect after a gun barrel was spotted in the bushes of Trump International golf course in West Palm Beach ahead of where the former president was playing. The suspect had fled after security forces opened fire. An AK-47 style assault rifle and scope were recovered from the scene. The FBI called the incident “what appears to be an attempted assassination of the former president”

• In a late night post on his Truth Social account, Trump thanked the secret service and other law enforcement for their “incredible job” of keeping him safe. After stating that it had been an “interesting day”, Trump went on to further commend law enforcement officials: “THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”

• Trump’s running mate in the presidential election, US senator JD Vance , said he spoke to Trump after the shooting and that the former president was in good spirits

• Palm Beach county sheriff, Ric Bradshaw told reporters a witness took photographs of the suspect and the vehicle he drove off in, and a person was later stopped and detained on Interstate 95 by deputies in Martin county, immediately north of Palm Beach county

• A source with direct knowledge of the investigation has told the Guardian the suspected gunman is 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh , a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s war efforts, who had contacted Ukraine’s military in an attempt to supply foreign mercenaries for their cause in what an official from Ukraine’s foreign legion described as “delusional ideas”. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he is glad that Trump is “safe and unharmed”

• Trump campaign co-managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles have described the suspected gunman as “an evil monster”

• Joe Biden released a statement on Sunday evening, expressing concern about the incident, saying “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 vigilance and their efforts to keep the former president and those around him safe. I am relieved that the former president is unharmed. As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country”

We will shortly be closing this live blog, and continuing our coverage here on our regular US politics live blog …

10.24am BST

Zelenskiy says he is 'glad to hear' that Donald Trump is 'safe and unharmed'

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to social media to say he is glad Donald Trump is “safe and unharmed” and praised the quick apprehension of the suspected gunman.

In a post, Ukraine’s president said “I am glad to hear that Donald Trump 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 the world. We sincerely hope that everyone remains safe.”

Trump has made much in his election campaign of his claim that he would end the war in Ukraine if he became president for a second time, however during the presidential debate with opponent Kamala Harris, the former president made it a point to avoid saying he wanted Ukraine to triumph.

The suspected gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, is known to be a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s cause.

9.36am BST

Ukrainian official: suspected gunman had 'delusional ideas' about supporting country's war effort

CNN reports that a Ukraine official has said the best way to describe the contact suspected gunman Ryan Wesley Routh had with Ukrainian armed forces was “delusional ideas”.

The news network spoke to Oleksandr Shaguri , a representative from Ukraine’s foreign legion, who confirmed Routh contacted them “online multiple times”, adding “He was offering us large numbers of recruits from different countries but it was obvious to us his offers were not realistic.

“We didn’t even answer, there was nothing to answer to. He was never part of the legion and didn’t cooperate with us in any way.”

Routh’s son Oran has confirmed to the Guardian that his father was committed to the cause of supporting Ukraine , which he had been interviewed about and posted about on social media.

The Guardian’s Ramon Antonio Vargas reported that a review of posts on Twitter/X associated with an account under Ryan Routh’s name showed it had addressed Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, saying Routh was in Kyiv and wanted to create a tent city for foreigners in hopes that would prompt more people from abroad to “raise great support and equipment”.

Palm Beach county sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a man was taken into custody on Sunday after an apparent attempted assassination attempt of Donald Trump at his Florida golf course. Bradshaw said a man was about 400 to 500 yards away from Trump and hidden in shrubbery – while the former president played golf on a nearby hole. An AK-47 style assault rifle and scope were recovered from the scene after the suspect fled when security forces opened fire.

Trump was immediately surrounded by security personnel and was unharmed. Joe Biden released a statement on Sunday evening, expressing concern about the incident, and political violence in the US.

Related: Suspect held after apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump at Florida golf course

Updated at 9.51am BST

8.50am BST

Trump campaign co-managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles have described the suspected gunman 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh as “an evil monster” in their memo to Trump staffers.

NBC News quotes the memo saying that staff need to “remain vigilant” and “be observant and maintain a constant level of situational awareness.”

They said that as the election campaign nears its final stages “we must remember that we will only be able save America from those who seek to destroy it by working together as one team.”

8.17am BST

The UK’s home secretary – the equivalent of an interior minister of homeland security secretary – has said it was appalling to see political violence taking place in the US, and that she was glad that Donald Trump was safe.

PA Media quoted Yvette Cooper telling the Sky News television channel in the UK:

It’s appalling to see political violence taking place. Violence should have no place in any political campaign. We’re all glad that the former president is safe, and that this attempt, whatever it was that happened, was not successful.

Another British politician, Nigel Farage , who leads the small Reform party in the UK’s parliament , described the events as “truly appalling” on social media. Farage had said he would spend part of this year campaigning for Trump in the US, before he was elected as an MP in July.

7.46am BST

Stephen Collinson at CNN offered this analysis of the potential fallout for the election of a second apparent assassination attempt on one of the candidates, saying “As crass as it may be to consider political ramifications in the immediate aftermath … everything in America is politicized within minutes.”

He wrote:

The ex-president’s actions in the coming days will be closely watched. After the first assassination attempt, the former president called on the country to come together. But his unity pledge didn’t last much longer than the first third of his speech at the Republican National Convention, which degenerated into the characteristic divisiveness on which he built his political career.

Another apparent attempt on his life is likely to have some level of personal impact on the former president. In the days after narrowly cheating death or serious injury in Pennsylvania when a bullet grazed his ear, Trump seemed chastened. But ever since, he has returned to his rambunctious self and, if anything, his rhetoric has become even more extreme.

7.38am BST

Thomas Gibbons-Neff, who interviewed the suspected gunman, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, in March of last year for the New York Times said that when he finished their brief conversation “it was clear he was in way over his head”.

Routh had been outlining an elaborate scheme to transfer people from Afghanistan to fight in Ukraine, which at one point appeared to involve him organising US military transport via Iraq and Poland, as well as an intention to forge documents. Routh appears to have been a construction worker from Greensboro, North Carolina, with no actual frontline military experience.

Earlier, my colleague Ramon Antonio Vargas spoke to the suspect’s son , Oran Routh, who said his father had been passionate about helping people in Ukraine.

7.24am BST

The apparent assassination attempt at the Trump International club in West Palm Beach is liable to lead to a shake up of the way security is handled for former president Donald Trump.

Californian Democratic Rep Ro Khanna was quoted by AP as saying “Two assassination attempts in 60 days on a former president and the Republican nominee is unacceptable. The Secret Service must come to Congress tomorrow, tell us what resources are needed to expand the protective perimeter, and lets allocate it in a bipartisan vote the same day.”

Palm Beach county sheriff Ric Bradshaw had earlier said “He’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, his security is limited to the areas that the secret service deems possible.”

Connecticut Sen Richard Blumenthal , already chair of a Senate subcommittee looking into security failures that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to shoot at Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania , was quoted by the New York Times saying “The facts about a second incident certainly warrant very close attention and scrutiny. A second serious incident, apparently involving an assault weapon, is deeply alarming and appalling.”

6.47am BST

Here is a map that shows where the incident occurred, after Secret Service agents scouting the course ahead of where Trump was playing spotted the muzzle of a firearm poking through a fence in a wooded area at the Trump International club in West Palm Beach.

The agent opened fire and the suspect fled, the Palm Beach county sheriff, Ric Bradshaw, told reporters. He said a witness took photographs of the suspect and the vehicle he drove off in, and a person was later stopped and detained on Interstate 95 by deputies in Martin county, immediately north of Palm Beach county.

The FBI, in a statement, said the agency believed it was the second attempt on Trump’s life in two months after he was injured in a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler , Pennsylvania, on 13 July. A spectator was killed, two others were injured, and Secret Service snipers shot the would-be assassin dead.

Trump was immediately surrounded by security personnel and was unharmed in Sunday’s incident, which occurred about 1.30pm as he was between the 5th and 6th holes, Bradshaw said, adding that his deputies immediately sealed off the area.

Updated at 6.51am BST

6.28am BST

Trump shooting attempt: what we know so far

If you’re just tuning in, here is where things stand:

• The Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump is “safe and unharmed” after US Secret Service agents opened fire when they spotted a person with a firearm at the Trump international golf course west of Palm Beach, where the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort home is located. Law enforcement officials said the gunman was in some bushes near the property line of the golf course when Secret Service agents, who were clearing holes ahead of where Trump was playing, spotted a rifle barrel in the bushes.

• In a late night post on his Truth Social account, Donald Trump has thanked the secret service and other law enforcement for their “incredible job” of keeping him safe. After stating that it had been an “interesting day”, Trump went on to further commend law enforcement officials: “THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”

• Agents engaged the gunman and fired at least four rounds of ammunition about 1.30pm local time . The gunman then dropped his rifle, two backpacks and other items and fled in a black Nissan car. A witness, the sheriff said, saw the gunman and managed to take photos of his car and license plate. In a press conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a male suspect had been detained by authorities. According to Bradshaw, the suspect was relatively calm.

• Officials acknowledged that because Trump is not in office, the full golf course was not cordoned off. “If he was, we would have had the entire golf course surrounded,” Bradshaw said during Sunday’s briefing. “Because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

• The gunman was spotted between 300 and 500 yards from where Trump was playing, Secret Service officials said.

• The FBI called the incident “what appears to be an attempted assassination of the former president”. The FBI and other law enforcement officials said the suspect had a scope on an AK47 rifle, and a GoPro camera with which he apparently intended to record footage and two backpacks with ceramic tiles in it.

• The suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh , aged 58, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation has told the Guardian. The same name was reported by other US media outlets including the Associated Press, Fox news and CNN. Law enforcement officials have not officially named a suspect or given any immediate indication of a motive. Secret service and homeland security agents searched a former home of the suspect.

• In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”. He added, “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”. Trump was injured in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on 13 July.

• The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident and were relieved to know that Trump is safe. “Violence has no place in America,” Harris said in a social media post. Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz issued a statement, posting on X: “Gwen and I are glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe. Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation.”

• Later, Biden and Harris released separate statements. Biden said, “I am relieved that the former President is unharmed.” Biden also said he has, “directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.” Harris reiterated Biden’s call for protective measures and said she said she was “deeply disturbed” by the apparent assassination attempt.

• Trump’s running mate in the presidential election, US senator JD Vance , said he spoke to Trump after the shooting and that the former president was in good spirits. The South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with the former president after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known”.

• Trump will be briefed in person on the investigation by acting secret service director Ronald Rowe, the Associated Press reports. Earlier, CNN reported that Rowe was on his way to Florida. Rowe has held the Service’s most senior position since Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

• Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, in an interview with the New York Times, said he had spoken with Trump and the former president expressed gratitude for his Secret Service detail, adding that the president said, “These people are awesome.”

• Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has said on X that, “the State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club.” He added, “The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee”.

• Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has released a statement on the apparent assassination attempt, saying, “Political violence has no place in a civilised society. I am thankful that former President Trump is safe and that the alleged perpetrator is in custody. He should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Updated at 7.56am BST

5.56am BST

News reporters were not with Trump on Sunday, the Associated Press reports. Bucking tradition, Trump’s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the president. Harris does not have a protective pool at all times, but does allow reporters to travel with her for public events.

5.47am BST

Democrats are pumping $25m into expanded voter outreach across 10 states, the Associated Press reports.

“A formidable ground game makes all the difference in close races,” DSCC Chairman Senator Gary Peters of Michigan said in a statement. “We are reaching every voter we need to win.”

The latest investment will be distributed across Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. The money will go toward efforts to defend five Democratic incumbents and open seats in Michigan, Maryland and Arizona that are currently included in Democrats’ majority, as well as efforts to unseat GOP incumbents in Florida and Texas.

Plans for the money will vary by state but will include hiring more paid field organisers and canvassers; digital organising programs targeting specific groups of voters online; texting programs; and in-person organising events targeting younger generations and nonwhite voters.

5.35am BST

David Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, has been speaking to CNN about the arrest of the man in connection with the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Aronberg said he was calm as he was detained, and did not speak to officers.

“He knew enough to stay silent,” Aronberg told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

A source with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed Routh was the suspect in the case. The Guardian also spoke with Routh’s son , Oran Routh, who confirmed his father has been detained but did not provide further details.

5.30am BST

The Associated Press has reported that on Monday, Trump will be briefed in person on the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt by acting secret service director Ronald Rowe.

Earlier CNN reported that Rowe was on his way to Florida. Rowe has held the Service’s most senior position since Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Former presidents and their spouses have secret service protection for life, but the security around former presidents varies according to threat levels and exposure, with the toughest measures typically being taken in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.

Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some other former presidents because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again.

Updated at 6.02am BST

5.16am BST

Trump thanks secret service and law enforcement

In a late night post on his Truth Social account, Donald Trump has thanked the secret service and other law enforcement for their “incredible job” of keeping him safe.

After stating that it had been an “interesting day”, Trump went on to further commend law enforcement officials:

THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”

4.57am BST

New York Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik has said she expects there to be a “clear explanation of what happened today in Florida”.

Stefanik has emerged this year as a major backer of Donald Trump and was reportedly in the running to be his presidential running mate, before JD Vance was named.

In a statement posted online , she thanked the “hardworking law enforcement officers working to keep President Trump, his family and his team safe”, before asking how the suspect “was allowed to get this close to President Trump”.

4.40am BST

Security officials search suspect's home in North Carolina

The Reuters news agency has filed some images of secret service and homeland security agents searching a former home of the suspect, who has been named by news organisations as Ryan Routh.

Updated at 4.53am BST

4.25am BST

CNN also reports, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that Trump’s decision to play golf was taken at the last minute. The Guardian has not confirmed this independently, and the Trump campaign has not said this publicly.

Former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe said earlier on CNN that one of the big questions that remains to be answered is how the suspect knew that Trump would be playing on Sunday, adding that it may have just been luck.

He speculated that the suspect’s positioning on the golf course, “Would indicate that he knew the layout of the course,” and that it seems to show a “high degree of planning”.

4.20am BST

CNN has spoken to a motorist who witnessed some of the aftermath of the incident, which he described as a “wild scene”.

He was on the on the I-95 interstate at the time, coming from a soccer match.

“We saw multiple officers starting to speed up behind us,” Rodriguez said.

“We saw a black Nissan speed up and merge in and out of traffic. We saw a helicopter flying in the air and many more police starting to appear. Then, a state trooper pulled over and stopped the traffic lane.”

Rodriguez said that they initially thought it was an accident.

“It was insane,” Rodriguez said. “A Nissan went blazing right by us, and multiple troopers going at least 90mph passed us, too.”

He was then stuck in traffic for two hours:

“By the end, I can say there were at least 20 patrol cars behind the Nissan,” Rodriguez said. “We waited patiently until police escorted us out of traffic. I had a pair of binoculars and saw police and several agents pointing rifles at the suspect.”

Updated at 4.21am BST

4.07am BST

While Trump’s plans to golf Sunday were not part of any public schedule, on days he is not campaigning, he can often be found golfing at one of his courses, the Associated Press reports.

Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, about a 10-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago residence, is a favourite. One of three golf clubs he owns in Florida, it boasts 27 holes of championship golf, as well as event spaces. Trump often eats lunch and holds meetings in the clubhouse between rounds.

Trump had just returned from a West Coast swing that included stops in Las Vegas and Utah, and had announced on social media that he would be delivering remarks Monday from Mar-a-Lago about cryptocurrency as he launches a new crypto platform.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw noted at a briefing that because Trump is no longer in office, security protocols around the course had loosened.

“He’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, his security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” he told reporters.

Law enforcement officials praised the work of the agents assigned to protect Trump. One agent, tasked with jumping one hole ahead of the former president to scope out potential threats, managed to spot the gunman’s rifle barrel sticking out of the fence that surrounds the golf club and “immediately engaged that individual,” Bradshaw said.

In an email to campaign staff Sunday night, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles credited the Secret Service for saving Trump, who has praised the agents in his own protective detail for their bravery as they rushed on stage to protect him in Butler, Pennsylvania.

3.54am BST

The FBI’s investigation into an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Florida will be global, a law enforcement source has told CNN.

Authorities are working to obtain search warrants on social media accounts believed to be associated with Routh, the source said, and because some of Routh’s suspected online activity also involved using platforms headquartered outside the United States, the investigation will involve working with international partners.

CNN reports, “The FBI is also aware of Routh’s suspected online claims about foreign travel, the source said, which will be part of the bureau’s investigation. While early in the investigation, authorities have not identified any co-conspirators potentially targeting Trump, the source said.”

3.47am BST

The son of the man reportedly accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course Sunday said his father had traveled to Ukraine and volunteered to provide what the son described as “humanitarian” aid to troops defending the country from Russian forces that invaded in 2022, the Guardian’s Ramon Antonio Vargas reports.

A source with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed to the Guardian that the suspect in Sunday’s case is 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh – though law enforcement has not officially named him and there was no immediate indication of a motive.

In an interview with CNN Sunday, Oran Routh called Ryan “a loving and caring father” and an “honest hardworking man”.

Updated at 3.50am BST

3.37am BST

The White House has released a longer statement from Kamala Harris reiterating Biden’s promise to “ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission”. She says:

I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.
I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the US Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance. As President Biden said, our Administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.

3.24am BST

The leaders of a congressional bipartisan task force investigating the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump said they have requested a briefing by the Secret Service.

“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” Representative Mike Kelly, a Republican and Representative Jason Crow, a Demcorat, said in a statement. They said the task force will share updates.

US Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat who is part of the task force, said he, “will seek answers about what happened today and then.”

3.15am BST

Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, in an interview with the New York Times, said he had spoken with Trump and the former president expressed gratitude for his Secret Service detail, adding that the president said, “These people are awesome.”

In response to a reporter’s question, officials acknowledged that because Trump is not in office, the full golf course was not cordoned off.

“If he was, we would have had the entire golf course surrounded,” Bradshaw said during Sunday’s briefing.

“Because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

3.04am BST

House speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, has posted what appears to be a picture of him with Trump today – the former president and current Republican presidential candidate is wearing golf clothes.

Johnson said that he is departing Mar-a-Lago, and is “thanking God for protecting [Trump] today—once again. No leader in American history has endured more attacks and remained so strong and resilient. He is unstoppable.”

2.52am BST

Here is Kamala Harris’s schedule for this week:

• On Monday, September 16, the Vice President will participate in a campaign meeting. This meeting in Washington, DC will be closed press.

• On Tuesday, September 17 , the Vice President will return to Pennsylvania for a campaign event. This event in Philadelphia will be pooled press.

• On Wednesday, September 18 , the Vice President will deliver remarks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 47th Annual Leadership Conference. This event in Washington, DC will be pooled press and open to pre-credentialed media.

• On Thursday, September 19, the Vice President will return to Michigan for a campaign event. This event in the metro Detroit area will be pooled press. Then, the Vice President will return to Wisconsin.

• On Friday, September 20 , the Vice President will be in Wisconsin for political events. She will also participate virtually in a meeting that the President is convening with his cabinet to discuss a range of Administration priorities. The First Lady will deliver remarks.

• In the evening, the Vice President will return to Washington, DC.

2.44am BST

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries: alleged perpetrator 'should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law'

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has released a statement on the apparent assassination attempt, saying, “Political violence has no place in a civilised society. I am thankful that former President Trump is safe and that the alleged perpetrator is in custody. He should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

2.39am BST

Why where ceramic tiles found in the suspect's backpacks?

You may be wondering about the ceramic tiles found in the bushes with the suspect’s belongings.

Palm Beach county sheriff Ric Bradshaw says that there were “two backpacks which were hung on the fence that had ceramic tile in them”.

Analysts, including a former FBI negotiator, told CNN that it is possible that the suspect may have planned to use the backpacks as body armour. The ceramic tiles or plates referred to are likely the kind used as protection from gunfire.

There has been no official confirmation of this from authorities.

2.25am BST

Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has said on X that, “the State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club.”

He added, “The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee”:

2.24am BST

Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service Director is on his way to Florida, CNN reports.

Rowe has held the Service’s most senior position since Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

2.21am BST

Summary: Who is the man reportedly detained in the Trump ‘assassination attempt’?

• The suspect in the latest apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump was in custody on Sunday night after being apprehended unarmed, having apparently abandoned his assault rifle at the golf course before fleeing.

• The man in custody was Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told the Associated Press. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

• The identity of the suspect had not been officially confirmed on Sunday evening but he has been named by several other mainstream media outlets, also citing anonymous sources. The Guardian also spoke to Routh’s son, Oran Routh, who said he had not spoken to his father since the incident.

• Law enforcement found a scope on the gun with the belongings abandoned at the fence when the man fled that would have brought Trump well within range, although the suspected gunman was much further away from the former president, from his vantage point at the golf course, than the man who shot Trump in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July.

• Routh was described in various reports as a construction worker previously working in North Carolina. He was strong opponent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine who had tried to recruit overseas volunteers to fight for Ukraine. Oran Routh said that his father had volunteered in Ukraine. Authorities have not suggested a motive.

• The Martin county sherriff, William Snyder, said that the suspect did not display much emotion when police apprehended him as he was driving away from the scene and arrested him.

• The suspect was pursued after he ran to a car and was seen by an onlooker who was able to record the registration of his car and share it with law enforcement, police said at a press conference earlier on Sunday.

Updated at 2.21am BST

2.09am BST

Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi has released a statement saying, “There never is a place for political violence of any kind in America”, and commending law enforcement officials:

2.04am BST

In case you missed this account earlier: Fox News presenter Sean Hannity said he’d spoken to both Trump and Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor and longtime Trump friend who was on the golf course with him on Sunday.

“They were on the fifth hole. And the way Steve described this, the way the president described it, they both had exactly the same story, which is that they heard pop pop, pop pop,” said Hannity. The Secret Service “pounced on the president, covered him”, he added.

1.59am BST

Biden has also posted that statement to X. Here it is:

1.51am BST

CNN has spoken to the son of the alleged suspect, who has been named in US media outlets as Ryan Wesley Routh.

Routh’s son said, “Ryan is my father, and I don’t have any comment beyond a character profile of him as a loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man. I don’t know what has happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent. He’s a good father, and a great man, and I hope you can portray him in an honest light.”

Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect. The Guardian has not confirmed this independently.

1.47am BST

Trump’s former White House doctor, Representative Ronny L Jackson of Texas, has spoken to the former president, he told the New York Times.

Jackson tended to Trumps’s ear after the assassination attempt on 13 July.

He said that about two hours after the incident on Sunday, he called Trump to check in on him.

“He told me he was always glad to hear from me but he was glad he didn’t need my services today,” said Jackson.

“I just told him I was glad he was OK and he said he can’t believe this happened,” Jackson said. “But he said he’s doing well and the team was doing well.”

1.37am BST

Biden says 'relieved' and will 'ensure that Secret Service has every resource' to protect Trump

The White House has released a statement from President Joe Biden, in which he says, “I am relieved that the former President is unharmed.”

Biden also says he has, “directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”

Here is the full statement:

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 vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe. I am relieved that the former President is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened. As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.

Updated at 1.38am BST

1.24am BST

Ryan Wesley Routh –the person US media, including the New York Times, are naming as the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt – was interviewed by the New York Times in 2023, “about Americans volunteering to aid Ukraine. Routh, who had no military experience, said he had traveled there after Russia’s 2022 invasion,” the paper’s Chief White House Correspondent, Peter Baker, reports.

Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect or any motive. The Guardian has not confirmed this independently.

Updated at 1.30am BST

1.22am BST

Here is a reminder of how the incident unfolded:

US Secret Service agents posted a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.

An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The man was later stopped by law enforcement and taken into custody in a neighbouring county.

He had a calm, flat demeanour and showed little emotion when he was stopped and didn’t question why he was pulled over, according Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.

“He never asked, ‘what is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.

1.04am BST

Here is Palm Beach county sheriff Ric Bradshaw earlier:

12.52am BST

Former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe is speaking now on CNN.

He speculates that the suspect’s positioning on the golf course, “Would indicate that he knew the layout of the course,” and that it seems to show a “high degree of planning”, but that the question is how the suspect knew that Trump would be playing today.

He said that it may have just been luck.

12.42am BST

Trump campaign leaders are crediting the Secret Service with keeping the former president safe following an apparent assassination attempt in Florida, the Associated Press reports.

In an email sent to staff Sunday evening, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote, “Thankfully, no one was injured at the Golf Course. President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.

They added that campaign staffers’ safety is “always our top priority” and asked those receiving the email to “remain vigilant” and “observant and maintain a constant level of situational awareness.”

12.35am BST

It is not clear whether the incident will affect Trump’s campaign schedule. He was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on Monday night on the social media site X for the launch of his sons’ crypto platform, the Associated Press reports.

He planned a town hall Tuesday in Flint, Michigan with his former press secretary, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, followed by a rally on Wednesday on New York’s Long Island.

12.31am BST

What we know so far

If you’re just joining us, here is what we know so far:

• The Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump is “safe and unharmed” after US Secret Service agents opened fire when they spotted a person with a firearm at the Trump international golf course west of Palm Beach, where the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort home is located. Law enforcement officials said the gunman was in some bushes near the property line of the golf course when Secret Service agents, who were clearing holes ahead of where Trump was playing, spotted a rifle barrel in the bushes.

• Agents engaged the gunman and fired at least four rounds of ammunition about 1.30pm local time . The gunman then dropped his rifle, two backpacks and other items and fled in a black Nissan car. A witness, the sheriff said, saw the gunman and managed to take photos of his car and license plate. In a press conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a male suspect had been detained by authorities. According to Bradshaw, the suspect was relatively calm. The gunman was spotted about 300 to 500 yards from where Trump was playing, Secret Service officials said.

• The FBI called the incident “what appears to be an attempted assassination of the former president”. The FBI and other law enforcement officials said the suspect had a scope on an AK47 rifle, and a GoPro camera with which he apparently intended to record footage and two backpacks with ceramic tiles in it.

• The suspect who was arrested was named as Ryan Wesley Routh , three law enforcement officials told the Associated Press. Fox news and CNN also reported the same name, citing law enforcement sources. Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect. The Guardian has not confirmed this independently.

• In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”. He added, “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”. Trump was injured in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on 13 July.

• The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident and were relieved to know that Trump is safe. “Violence has no place in America,” Harris said in a social media post. Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz issued a statement, posting on X: “Gwen and I are glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe. Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation.”

• Trump’s running mate in the presidential election, US senator JD Vance , said he spoke to Trump after the shooting and that the former president was in good spirits. The South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with the former president after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known”.

12.26am BST

From the moment the secret service engaged the suspect, the apprehension also went like clockwork. As he was being fired upon, the suspect dropped the rifle and fled through the bushes, jumping into a black Nissan that he had presumably left strategically located for a fast getaway. Also remarkably in the circumstances, a passerby saw him flee and had the wits to take a photograph of the vehicle including its license plate.

Such is the power of surveillance technology in Florida that within minutes the number plate was being run through the state’s license plate readers. The escaping suspect was quickly tracked to the I-95 highway and promptly detained at gunpoint.

As William Snyder, sheriff of neighboring Martin county where the arrest was made, noted, the suspect was unarmed and appeared “relatively calm, he was not displaying a lot of emotion”.

The exemplary way in which federal and local law enforcement worked together to prevent what could have been a catastrophic event, followed by the consummate apprehension of the suspect, will take a lot of heat out of the situation as the inevitable blame game gets under way. But that other initial narrative also glares out and will demand answers.

How, after Trump came so close to being shot in Pennsylvania, was it possible for him to be out playing golf in a setting that appears to have been impossible to secure? What is happening in a country with as painful a history of successful assassinations as America’s when it sees a former president targeted not once but twice in such short order?

A beady-eyed Secret Service agent spared the US a potentially unconscionable disaster. Is that security enough?

“The threat level is high,” said the Secret Service spokesperson. “We live in dangerous times.”

Related: Second Trump assassination attempt highlights ‘dangerous times’ for US

12.14am BST

Analysis: 'a story of two conflicting narratives'

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the initial analysis suggested a story of two conflicting narratives.

The first narrative focused on how exposed Trump was, even after security had been ramped up after the Butler incident, and how easy it appeared to have been for a heavily armed individual to gain entrance to the golf course and hide there engulfed in the bushes.

As Bradshaw put it, had Trump been a sitting president at the time he would never have been allowed by the Secret Service to play golf in such an open environment. But “he is not the sitting president, and so we are limited to what the Secret Service deems possible”.

The second narrative is more positive. Unlike the attempted assassination on Trump in Butler county, in which the Secret Service has faced serious questions about its competence leading to the resignation of its then director, Kimberly Cheatle, Sunday’s incident appears to paint the agency in a much rosier light.

The suspected gunman was spotted by a Secret Service agent who was acting as forward guard, going ahead of Trump by a hole or two to stake out potential threats. Despite the thick greenery flanking the course, the agent caught sight of a rifle barrel peeking through and engaged the suspect, firing four to six rounds of ammunition.

“The Secret Service did exactly what they were supposed to do, and their agent did a fantastic job,” Bradshaw said.

12.04am BST

CNN has also named the suspect, again using unnamed sources, as Ryan Wesley Routh.

Three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press the same name, and Fox news is also reporting the name, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.

Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect. The Guardian has not confirmed this independently.

12.01am BST

Here is what that page now looks like:

11.58pm BST

Trump’s fundraising page has been changed to read in part, “I am Donald J. Trump. FEAR NOT! I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. Thank God! But, there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us”.

11.51pm BST

Authorities said that the person alleged to have pointed the rifle at Trump while he was playing golf on Sunday was between 300 and 500 yards from the former president.

To give some idea of the distance: Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was named as person involved in the Trump assassination attempt on 13 July at Butler Park Showgrounds in Pennsylvania, was on a roof 164 yards (150 metres) away from where Trump was speaking.

Updated at 11.51pm BST

11.48pm BST

Suspect named in US media reports

The man who authorities say is alleged to have pointed rifle with a scope into former President Donald Trump’s golf club and was arrested is named Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

Fox news is also reporting the name, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.

Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect. The Guardian has not confirmed this independently.

11.34pm BST

Here are photographs showing an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club, taken after what the FBI said appeared to be an assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump:

11.28pm BST

Four US presidents have been wounded but survived assassination attempts, while in office or afterwards, including Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt on 13 July. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear.

Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981 outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington. Reagan was wounded when one of the bullets ricocheted off a limousine and struck him under the left armpit.

President Gerald Ford survived two attempts on his life in less than three weeks in 1975 without being hurt.

Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest in 1912 while campaigning for election in Milwaukee, but insisted on delivering his speech to supporters before being taken to a hospital.

Four US presidents were assassinated while in office: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.

Robert F. Kennedy, a US presidential candidate was assassinated in 1968 by a gunman in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, was shot in 1972 and became paralysed from the waist down.

11.22pm BST

Here is video footage of the briefing from Palm Beach county sheriff Ric Bradshaw:

Updated at 12.17am BST

11.19pm BST

CNN reports that the suspect was first spotted by the FBI at 1.30pm. It is now just after six PM in West Palm Beach, where the incident occurred.

11.13pm BST

Former US president Barack Obama has not issued a statement on the incident, but has just reposted Kamala Harris’s response – here that is again:

11.09pm BST

What we know so far

Hello, this is Helen Sullivan taking over the Guardian’s live coverage following the apparent Trump assassination attempt.

Here is what we know so far:

• The Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump is “safe and unharmed”, Law enforcement sources in Palm Beach county said, after US Secret Service agents opened fire after spotting a person with a firearm at at his Trump international golf course west of Palm Beach, where his Mar-a-Lago resort home is located.

• In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”. He added, “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”.

• Martin county sheriff William Snyder said that a male suspect had been detained by authorities. According to Snyder, the suspect was relatively calm and authorities also found an AK47 assault rifle. “We have somebody in custody right now that is a potential suspect,” Palm Beach officials said.

• Snyder went on to call the situation a “very serious incident”. A person was stopped and detained on Interstate 95 by deputies in Martin county, immediately north of Palm Beach county, soon after the incident.

• The FBI called the incident “an attempted assassination of the former president”. The FBI and other law enforcement officials said the suspect had a scope on his rifle, a GoPro camera with which he apparently intended to record footage and a backpack with ceramic tile in it.

• The White House said Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had been briefed on the incident. “They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” a statement read.

• Harris issued a statement in response to the news, saying, “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”

• Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz issued a statement, posting on X: Gwen and I are glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe. Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation.

Updated at 11.11pm BST

11.03pm BST

Chuck Schumer: 'I applaud Secret Service for their quick response'

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he has been briefed by the Secret Service following the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

In a statement on Sunday, Schumer said:

“I was just briefed by the Acting Director of the Secret Service. I applaud the Secret Service for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety. There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind. The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

10.59pm BST

Tim Walz: 'Violence has no place in our country'

Tim Walz has responded to the shooting incident on Donald Trump’s Florida golf course, saying:

Gwen and I are glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe. Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation.

Updated at 11.00pm BST

10.48pm BST

Here are some images coming through the newswires surrounding the shooting incident on Donald Trump’s Florida golf course:

Updated at 10.59pm BST

10.39pm BST

Photos posted online appeared to show the suspect’s AK-47-style rifle propped up along a fence line by Donald Trump’s golf course:

According to the FBI and other officials, the suspect had a scope on his rifle, a GoPro camera with which he apparently intended to record footage and a backpack with ceramic tile in it.

Updated at 10.42pm BST

10.26pm BST

JD Vance on phone call with Trump: 'He was, amazingly, in good spirits'

JD Vance said he spoke to Donald Trump following the gunshots on the former president’s golf course, saying:

“I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits.

Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude.”

Updated at 10.37pm BST

10.14pm BST

In response to a question on how the incident was allowed to happen, Palm Beach officials said:

“So when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much outside and at this level that [Donald Trump] is at right now, he’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.

“So I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter, but the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done. They provided exactly what the protection should have been, and their agents did a fantastic job.”

Updated at 10.31pm BST

10.09pm BST

Secret Service: Trump was "between 300 and 500 yards' away from suspect

Secret Service officials said Donald Trump was between “300 and 500 yards” away from the suspect.

“But with a rifle and the scope like that, that’s not a long distance,” officials said.

Updated at 11.07pm BST

10.06pm BST

Jeffrey B Veltri, special FBI agent in charge of the Miami field office, said:

“What we need right now is for the public to avoid the area around the golf course. We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI, alongside our partners.”

Updated at 10.17pm BST

10.04pm BST

“We have somebody in custody right now that is a potential suspect,” Palm Beach officials said.

“We got a little bit more work to do on it, but as we usually do, as soon as we decide that we’re going to book him into the county jail and the charges that he’s going to be booked into, we’ll get those to you, and we’ll get a picture of them, and we’ll get you his background,” they added.

Updated at 10.24pm BST

10.03pm BST

Palm Beach county sheriff’s office is hosting its press conference.

According to authorities, a witness said: “I saw the guy running out in the bushes.”

They added that police detained the suspect in Martin county and found an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks as well as a GoPro “which he was going to take pictures” with.

Updated at 10.18pm BST

9.55pm BST

The suspect involved in the gunshot incident on Donald Trump’s Florida golf course dropped his AK-style rifle and fled into an SUV, according to officials speaking to the Associated Press.

The suspect was then taken into custody in a neighboring investigation with no injuries reported.

The firearm was recovered at the scene near Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, according to two officials speaking to the AP.

9.49pm BST

FBI investigating 'what appears to be an attempted assassination' of Trump

US Secret Service agents opened fire on a man armed with a gun who they believed was targeting Donald Trump as he played at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The agents were several holes ahead of Trump when they spotted a gun poking through the bushes, one of the people said. The man then fled in a vehicle that was later apprehended. An AK-style rifle was found at the scene.

Trump was nearby but was safe, according to the Trump campaign. “President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” Trump communications director Steven Cheung said.

The Palm Beach county sheriff’s office is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon. Palm Beach officials were briefed by local law enforcement that they believed Trump was the target, according to a person familiar with the matter.

In a statement, the FBI said: “The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former president Trump.”

Updated at 9.58pm BST

9.36pm BST

Donald Trump: 'I am safe and well'

Donald Trump has released the following statement after reports of gunshots being fired at his Florida golf course emerged on Sunday:

"There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!

Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”

9.33pm BST

Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, took to X following gunshots reported on his father’s golf course, saying:

“An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, per local law enforcement. The Trump campaign has released a statement confirming former President Trump is safe. A suspect has reportedly been apprehended.”

9.25pm BST

Speaking to CNN, Martin county sheriff William Snyder said that a male suspect had been detained by authorities.

According to Snyder, the suspect was relatively calm and authorities also found an AK47 assault rifle.

Snyder went on to call the situation a “very serious incident”.

Updated at 9.39pm BST

9.18pm BST

Officials are set to deliver a press conference soon on the shooting incident.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates.

9.14pm BST

There is quite a bit of confusion across media outlets on the gunshots.

According to the New York Post, two people were exchanging gunfire that was meant specifically for each other.

Meanwhile, CNN has reported its own sources saying that officials believe the shots fired were intended for Trump.

Fox News host Sean Hannity said that he has spoken to Trump, adding that the former president was “safe and unharmed”.

Hannity added that Trump was on the 5th hole and about to putt when “Secret Service pounced on the president, covered him, you had snipers with tripods.”

Hannity went on to say that a gun identified as an AK47 had been found.

Updated at 9.15pm BST

9.14pm BST

Kamala Harris on Trump: 'I am glad he is safe'

Kamala Harris has issued the following statement in response to gunshots being reported on Trump National Golf Club in Florida where Donald Trump was golfing:

“I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”

9.14pm BST

Trump campaign says in a statement that he is safe following gunshots

The Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump , is safe following gunshots in his vicinity, his campaign said in a statement on Sunday. It said no further details were available.

Reuters could not immediately determine where Trump was located when the campaign issued the statement. The Politico national correspondent Meridith McGraw reported that the gunshots in question were fired at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president and Republican nominee in November’s election was golfing on Sunday.

Meanwhile, citing sources, the New York Post added that two people exchanging gunfire meant specifically for each other engaged in a shootout. The shooters were not targeting Trump, the sources said, according to the outlet.

However, CNN reported contradictory information. Citing its own sources, the network reported that officials believed the shots at the golf club were indeed intended for Trump.