In a shocking revelation, a gunman concealed himself in the bushes for nearly 12 hours before Donald Trump played an impromptu round of golf at his oceanfront club in Florida.
As a result, this incident has left local residents shocked and marks what authorities believe could be the second assassination attempt on the former president in just two months.
The gunman, who did not discharge any shots, was concealed by well-maintained shrubbery and tall palm trees along the perimeter of the 27-hole course. As per Mobile phone records, the suspect had been in its position since 1:59 a.m.
Equipped with two digital cameras, a black plastic bag of food, an SKS-style semi-automatic rifle with a range of nearly 440 yards, and a scope, the suspect remained undetected for hours.
What Exactly Happened?
Meanwhile, on a hot and cloudy Sunday afternoon, Trump along with his friend, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, arrived at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
The former president was on the fifth fairway at 1:31 p.m. EDT (5:31 p.m. GMT), near busy roads close to Palm Beach International Airport, was when a member of his security detail spotted a rifle protruding from the foliage by the sixth hole.
Trump, who was safely evacuated, recounted hearing “probably four or five” shots from a distance during a live-streamed event on X, from his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Eventually, a quick-thinking Secret Service agent fired towards the suspect, who was located approximately 300-500 yards away and did not have a clear shot at Trump.
Recounting the incident, Trump said “Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me….We got into the carts and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job.”
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Even though the gunman, fled the scene in a black Nissan and abandoned his backpack and weapon. But, he was captured after about 40 minutes, as one civilian woman managed to photograph his license plate and gave it to the investigators.
The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Routh, was apprehended on Interstate 95. As per bodycam footage, the suspect appeared calm as officers detained him without incident.
Later in a court on Monday, Routh, dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
