Trump rushed to safety and suspect held after man spotted with rifle

Former President Donald Trump is safe following an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf course, and a “potential suspect” is in custody, US authorities have confirmed.

Secret Service agents spotted the barrel of a rifle poking through some bushes and opened fire at him, officials said. The FBI said Trump was 300-500 yards (275 to 455m) away at the time.

An AK47-style firearm and scope, along with two backpacks and a GoPro camera, were later found at the scene.

A witness reported seeing the suspect running from some bushes and jumping into a black Nissan car after the agents had fired at him multiple times.

The witness took a picture of the vehicle and number plate and it was stopped later in Martin County, north of the club.

In an email to his supporters, Trump said he was “safe and well”.

“Nothing will slow me down,” he wrote. “I will never surrender!”

The incident comes almost exactly two months after a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, striking his ear.

The Secret Service confirmed in a post on X that they were investigating a “protective incident” involving Trump that took place shortly before 14:00 EST (19:00 BST) on Sunday.

At a press briefing later Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County said “the Secret Service agent that was on the course did a fantastic job”.

He added: “What they do is they have an agent that jumps one hole ahead of time to where the president was at and he was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engage that individual, at which time the individual took off.”

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris had been briefed about the incident that they said took place at the Trump International Golf Course, “where former President Trump was golfing”.

“They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” the White House said.

Harris posted on X that she had been briefed on the matter and was glad Trump was unharmed. “Violence has no place in America,” she wrote.

Trump was injured while addressing a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, on 13 July when a gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired at him with an AR-15–style rifle from the roof of a nearby building.

The shooting left one audience member dead, while Crooks, 20, was killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.

The Secret Service faced intense scrutiny over how the shooter from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was able to open fire on the former president.

The director of the agency, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned within two weeks of the incident.