FBI investigating apparent 'attempted assassination' of Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Former President Donald Trump is safe after what the FBI described as a second "attempted assassination" on the presidential candidate, this time as he was on his golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sunday afternoon.

The incident happened before 2 p.m. EDT Sunday, when Secret Service opened fire on an armed man spotted at Trump International Golf Course, authorities said. A suspect was later apprehended.

The FBI said in a statement it had responded to the shooting and was "investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump."

Trump's campaign communications director, Steven Cheung, declared the former president was "safe." Trump later also said he was "safe and well."

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is in custody and was identified as the suspect, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News . He lives in Kaawa, Hawaii, where he works as an affordable housing builder, according to his LinkedIn profile , and lived in Greensboro, N.C., where he voted in the Democratic primary in March and Trump in 2016, WFMY reported .

Oran Routh, son of Ryan Routh, told CNN that Ryan Routh is a "loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man." He added "it doesn't sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent."

The shooting comes two months after a bullet grazed Trump's ear in an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pa.

In a new fundraising email, Trump said his "resolve is stronger than ever after another attempt on my life.

"I will never slow down. I will never give up," he wrote. "I WILL NEVER SURRENDER! I thank God every day for having supporters like you on my side. On November 5th, WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

A Secret Service agent spotted a man and opened fire after it was believed he may have been taking aim 300 to 500 yards -- two holes -- ahead of Trump, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a news conference. An AK-47 gun, scope, two backpacks with ceramics and a GoPro camera were recovered near the golf course.

ABC reported four to six shots were fired by the agent.

Trump was between the fifth and sixth hole when the incident occurred.

Bradshaw said his office was alerted at 1:30 p.m. EDT of shots fired by Secret Service agents at the private golf course.

An agent saw a barrel with a scope sticking out of a fence and "engaged" with the suspect before he could fire, Bradshaw said.

"We are able to catch a witness that came to us and said, 'Hey, I saw the guy running out of the bushes, he jumped into a black Nissan and I took a picture of the vehicle and the tag,' which was great," Bradshaw said.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office, which is north of Palm Beach County, said it stopped a vehicle and had "taken a suspect into custody believed to be connected to a shooting incident at Trump International in Palm Beach County," about 44 miles away.

"There was a very serious incident down there," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said during a news conference at the scene.

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said at the news conference in West Palm Beach that the man will face federal charges.

The suspect was apprehended near Stuart and Palm City, and was calm, Snyder said.

"There was a very urgent BOLO [be on lookout]" from FBI, Secret Service and PBSO, and "we immediately flooded I-95," Snyder said.

A member of the road control unit spotted the vehicle.

"We pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody," Snyder said about the suspect who was alone and not armed.

Northbound Interstate 95 at State Road 714 was closed for a few hours where the suspect was apprehended. There also was a serious crash during the chase.

Secret Service quickly posted some information after the incident.

"The Secret Service, in conjunction with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, is investigating a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. The former president is safe," Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement on X.

After the incident, Secret Service moved him to safety.

The Secret Service on Sunday night said the FBI had assumed the role of lead agency in the investigation. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida also said his state will conduct its own investigation.

The suspect's background is being checked by investigators.

Routh expressed strong support for Ukraine in dozens of posts on X in 2022. "I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE...Can I be the example We must win," Routh said in an X post in March 2022.

Also on an X account, he referenced the assassination attempt on Trump in July.

His account has been suspended .

Records from North Carolina, dating back a couple decades, show he has had previous arrests. In 2002, he was pulled over by police and allegedly put his hand on a firearm and then drove and barricaded himself in a business, according to a Greensboro News & Record Greensboro News & Record report .

President Joe Biden said he had been briefed on the "possible assassination attempt."

"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," he said in a statement .

"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."

Also briefed was Attorney General Merrick Garland , who oversees the FBI. Homeland Security controls Secret Service.

"What we need right now is for the public to avoid the area around the golf course," Jeffrey Veltri of the FBI Miami field office said at the news conference. "We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI."

Trump's motorcade moved 4 1/2 miles east to his Mar-a-Lago resort in the town of Palm Beach, after the incident.

Troop was greeted near his home by several supporters, including many displaying flags, amid a heavy law enforcement presence, WPTV reported . They were pushed back from their usual place on the bridge.

A busy road in front of Mar-a-Lago Club is open when the former president is not at the residence. After the first shooting in Butler, the road was closed even when Trump wasn't there but that policy changed.

Trump International Golf Club was the first course acquired by The Trump Organization in 1999. The 330-acre course includes 5.2 acres of bunkers, 40 acres of lake, five scenic waterfall features and 900 Royal Palm trees, according to its website .

"The golf course is surrounded by shrubbery, so when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they're pretty much out of sight, all right, and at this level that he is at right now, he's not the sitting president," Bradshaw said.

"If he was [sitting president], we would have had 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'll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter. But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done."

Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., said on X he had spoken with Trump after the incident. "He is one of the strongest people I've ever known. He's in good spirits and he is more resolved than ever to save our country," Graham said.

Trump returned to Florida after appearances near Los Angeles and the Bay Area; Tucson, Ariz.; Las Vegas and Salt Lake City with the latter Saturday.

On Monday night, Trump is scheduled to announce at Mar-a-Lago the debut of a new crypto platform called World Liberty Financial that will be controlled by sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.