The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating a potential assassination attempt on Donald Trump after a Secret Service agent opened fire on an armed man near the former president's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The incident occurred about 2pm Sunday, local time, while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing.
No injuries were reported.
The man fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county by local law enforcement, according to Martin Country Sheriff William D. Snyder.
LIVE BLOGIn a briefing with local news media, he said that the driver "was not displaying a lot of emotions" when taken into custody.
"He was not armed when we took him out of the car," the sheriff said.
The man in custody is believed to be named Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told the Associated Press.
The officials identified the suspect to the AP, but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Mr Trump's campaign confirmed he was safe and the US Secret Service said it was investigating what it called "a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump".
The presidential candidate sent an email to his fundraising list saying that there were "gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!"
"Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me."
How the incident unfolded
Mr Trump, a keen golfer, was playing a round with friends at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.
A Secret Service agent was one hole ahead of the former president when he spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence in the golf club, according to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County.
"Secret Service personnel opened fire on a gunman," said Rafael Barros from the Secret Service.
"We are not sure right now if the individual was able to take a shot at our agents."
After the man fled, an "AK-47 style" rifle was recovered from a bush where the suspect was seen, along with a scope, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera.
A witness then saw a man flee the scene.
"Fortunately, we were able to locate a witness that came to us and said, 'hey, I saw the guy running out of the bushes. He jumped into a black Nissan and I took a picture of the vehicle and the tag,' which was great," Sheriff Bradshaw said.
He was quickly apprehended.
The officials say Mr Trump was at least 365 metres away during the incident.
"With a rifle and a scope like that, that''s not a long distance," Sheriff Bradshaw said.
The golf club where the shots were fired is about 6 kilometres from his main home, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach.
Mr Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a west coast campaign that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.
Mr Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, one of three he owns in the state.
Two alleged assassination attempts in a few months
The incident comes roughly two months after an assassination attempt on Trump's life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
In July, the former president was holding a rally in Pennsylvania when he was shot in his right ear.
Two people, including the suspected gunman, were killed and two were critically injured.
He has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt, and at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass.
But Florida officials say because he is not a sitting president, the full golf course wasn't cordoned off — a security measure that would have been offered if he was in office.
"If he was, we would have had the entire golf course surrounded," Sheriff Bradshaw said.
"Because he's not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible."
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, adding they were "relieved" to know Trump is safe.
"I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe," Vice-President Harris wrote on social media.
"Violence has no place in America."
Mr Trump's running mate, Senator JD Vance, said he spoke to the former president after the incident.
"I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits," Vance said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Still much we don't know, but I'll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude."
ABC/AP
