The FBI said on Sunday that former President Donald Trump was targeted in a suspected second assassination attempt in as many months after his campaign confirmed that shots were reported in his vicinity.
“The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the FBI told The Epoch Times in a statement.
A representative of U.S. Secret Service separately told a news conference Sunday that a Secret Service personnel opened fire on a suspected gunman “located near the property line,” adding it’s under investigation, while the Palm Beach sheriff said that officials recovered an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks that had “ceramic tile” inside, and a GoPro camera.
A Secret Service agent that is stationed near of Trump while he was golfing “was able to spot this rifle barrel” and “immediately [engaged] that individual, at which time the individual took off,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
Photos shared by law enforcement Sunday showed what appeared to be two black bags hanging from a fence near the golf course. A firearm was seen between them and pointed through a gap in the fence, while the GoPro was hanging to the side.
The suspect, who was between 400 and 500 yards from the former president, was also intent on “filming what was going on,” Bradshaw told the news conference. The individual was near the fourth or fifth hole of the course, which was one or two holes ahead of where the former president was located, he added.
Prosecutors are now working to secure a warrant and pretrial detention paperwork, Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg said. The suspect will likely be initially be charged at the state level but federal counts could be filed.
“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”
Earlier Sunday, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said it has taken a suspect into custody that is believed to be connected to reports of shots fired in the vicinity of Trump. The identity of the individual has not been disclosed.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said that the person of interest in the incident, who was not identified, “was relatively calm” during the arrest. “He was not displaying a lot of emotions. Never asked, ‘What is this about?’” the sheriff told reporters of the suspect as he was being detained.
The former president’s campaign said in a statement earlier Sunday that he is safe, which was later echoed by the U.S. Secret Service. No injures were reported, law enforcement officials said.
An email sent out by Trump said that he is “safe and well” after the reports of shots being fired.
“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 said. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me.”
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House said they were “relieved to know Trump is safe.”
The incident occurred roughly two months after an assassination attempt on Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. In that incident, one rally-goer was killed, two were injured, and the former president’s ear was struck by a bullet. Suspected shooter Thomas Crooks, 20, was shot and killed soon after he opened fire.
Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. As of press time, he has not issued a statement on the matter on his social media website, Truth Social.
