The suspect in an apparent assassination attempt against former US president Donald Trump did not fire his weapon, the Secret Service has said.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is facing federal gun charges after he was arrested on Sunday afternoon following the incident at West Palm Beach golf course in Florida, where Mr Trump was playing.
He was spotted by a Secret Service agent assigned to the former president’s security detail, who opened fire on the suspect.
Routh fled the scene in a car before he was captured by police in a neighbouring county and has now been charged with firearm offences, authorities said.
It has been just nine weeks since the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life.
FBI special agent in charge for the Miami field office Jeffrey B Veltri told reporters at a news conference that officers are investigating the matter as an “apparent assassination attempt”.
He said several witnesses at the scene have been interviewed adding that “the evidence response team is collecting multiple items” while “DNA has also been collected”.
US Attorney for the southern district of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, described the investigation as being “still at the early stages” but officers had already found a digital camera, a backpack, a rifle and a black plastic bag containing food at the scene.
Acting director Ronald Rowe Jr of the United States Secret Service (USSS) gave more details about the circumstances leading to the arrest of Mr Routh.
He says yesterday a Secret Service agent who was sweeping the golf course saw the alleged gunman and “immediately discharged his firearm”.
“The subject who did not have a line of sight to Mr Trump fled the scene. He did not fire any shots at our agent,” he added. Mr Trump was then moved to a safe location.
He explained that following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July, the Secret Service “increased assets”.
“In the days that followed, Joe Biden made it clear he wanted the highest levels of protection for Mr Trump and Kamala Harris,” he said.
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