Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was unharmed on Sunday after the Secret Service prevented what the FBI described as an apparent assassination plot while he was golfing at his West Palm Beach course in Florida.
Secret Service agents identified and fired at a gunman hidden in bushes near the golf course’s property line, just a short distance from where Trump was playing, according to law enforcement sources.
The perpetrator abandoned an AK-47-style assault rifle and other items at the scene before fleeing in a vehicle, but later apprehended by the authorities.
This attempted attack on Trump occurred only two months following an incident where he was shot at during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, resulting in a minor injury to his right ear.
Both events underscore the complexities of ensuring the safety of presidential candidates in a fiercely contested and polarized election campaign, with slightly over seven weeks remaining until the November 5 election.
The motivations behind the suspect’s knowledge of Trump’s golfing activity at that exact time remain unclear. However, this thwarted assault is expected to prompt fresh inquiries into the adequacy of security measures surrounding the presidential candidate.
