Donald Trump ‘assassination attempt’: 10 things we know about the incident

Donald Trump assassination bid: According to the FBI, after a Secret Service agent shot the attacker, he dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV. He was arrested.

Within nine weeks of being shot at in an assassination attempt during an election rally, US presidential poll candidate Donald Trump was on Sunday the target of what the FBI called an "attempted assassination".

A law enforcement officer looks on after reports of shots fired outside Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump's Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. September 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, had been playing golf in his Florida mansion when the US Secret Service noticed the muzzle of a gun sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away. They shot at the gunman, who fled leaving behind his equipment, including a GoPro action camera. He was later arrested.

Here are 10 points on Donald Trump's assassination attempt:

1. According to the FBI, after a Secret Service agent shot at the attacker, he dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV. He left behind his firearm, two backpacks, a GoPro camera and a scope used for aiming. He was arrested in a neighbouring county.
2. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told the media that after being caught, the man displayed a calm demeanor and showed little emotion. “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.
3. On July 13, Donald Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear. Eight days later, President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, giving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democrats' nominee.
4. Donald Trump appeared undeterred by the assassination attempt. He said he was safe and well. He also vowed that "nothing will slow me down". “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," he wrote in an email to his supporters. He later returned to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach where he lives.
5. Joe Biden and Vice President Hamala Harris were briefed on the incident. The White House said they were “relieved” to know Trump is safe. Harris, Donald Trump's presidential poll opponent, said in a statement that "violence has no place in America".
6. Fox News host Sean Hannity recounted on air his conversation with Trump and the former president's golf partner, Steve Witkoff. They told the journalist that they had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.
7. AP quoted some law enforcement officials saying the man in custody was identified as Ryan Roth. The FBI is probing the assassination attempt. “The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the bureau said.
8. The suspect was arrested after the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office put out a "be on the lookout" alert.
9. Snyder said his deputies “immediately flooded” northbound I-95, deploying to every exit between the Palm Beach County line to the south and St. Lucie County line to the north.
10. “One of my road patrol units saw the vehicle, matched the tag and we set up on the vehicle,” Snyder said, “We pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody.”

With inputs from AP