Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The FBI said the incident in West Palm Beach, where shots were fired near Donald Trump, appears to be an assassination attempt. The suspect has been identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Root, who is already known to the public for recruiting Afghan soldiers for the war in Ukraine.
There was another shooting nearby. Donald Trump – this time, at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The FBI said the incident "appears to be an attempted murder."
The former president said he was safe and sound, and thanked the Secret Service, sheriff and police for what he called an "incredible job" in keeping him safe.
"The work that has been done is absolutely outstanding." I'm proud to be an American!” Trump wrote on the Truth Social social network.
"I'd like to thank everyone for their concern and well wishes - it's certainly been an interesting day!" added the former US president.
The whole event took place just nine weeks ago failed assassination attempt at Donald Trump at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
A Kalashnikov peeked out from the bushes
On Sunday, while the Republican candidate was playing golf at his club in Florida, US Secret Service agents spotted the barrel of a Kalashnikov-style rifle protruding from the bushes surrounding the course, about 400 meters away.
One agent fired, after which the assailant dropped his rifle and fled in an SUV.
According to local Sheriff Rick Bradshaw, an "AK-47-style" rifle was found in the bushes where the suspect was seen, along with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera.
The suspect was later stopped and taken into custody by the police in a neighboring district.
Suspect identified
The male suspect has been identified in US media as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Root.
Between 2002 and 2010, Root was charged and convicted of several crimes in Guilford County, North Carolina, a law enforcement source told CBS News.
Misdemeanors include carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest, hit-and-run, driving with a suspended license and possession of stolen property.
Recruited Afghans for Ukraine
This is not the first time that Ruth has made it into the national media. He told the New York Times last year that he wanted to help the war effort in Ukraine and that he planned to recruit Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban for that purpose.
In a telephone interview with the paper, Root said dozens of soldiers had expressed interest. He also said he planned to move them from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine, in some cases illegally.
"We can probably buy passports through Pakistan, because it's a very corrupt country," he said at the time.
On that occasion, Ruth said that he was in Washington for a two-hour meeting with the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe to lobby for greater support for Ukraine.
It seems that Rout was actively engaged in recruiting soldiers until July of this year, writes CBS.
In a post on his Facebook profile dated July, Ruth wrote, among other things: "Soldiers, please don't call me. We are still trying to convince Ukraine to accept the Afghan soldiers and we hope to have some answers in the coming months... please be patient."
Both Republicans and Democrats are calling for increased security
After the Butler assassination attempt in July, Trump's security has been beefed up, but politicians on both sides of the political spectrum now say it's not enough.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorca wrote on Platform X that "the security of presidential candidates and other protected individuals is the highest priority for the Secret Service."
However, this protection is now the target of new criticism. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said security at Mar-a-Lago would be different if Trump were the current president, as they would have cordoned off the entire golf course.
New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis said that Trump should have the same level of security as the current president.
Democratic Congressman Richie Torres, also from New York, said that "anything less than maximum protection is a self-inflicted wound that puts the nation's stability at serious risk."
Kamala Harris: I'm thankful that Trump is safe
The vice president of the USA and Trump's rival in the race for the November presidential elections Kamala Harris issued a statement regarding the alleged failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump, expressing gratitude for his safety.
"I am deeply troubled by the possible assassination of former President Trump," Harris said in a statement.
"While we gather the facts, I want to be clear: I condemn political violence." We must all do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to further violence. I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. Kudos to the US Secret Service and their partners for their vigilance. As President Biden has said, our administration will ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities, and safeguards needed to carry out its critical mission."
Sources: CBS/BBC/AP
Israeli forces have launched another attack on Iran, targeting sites near the Fordoz nuclear facility south of Tehran, the BBC reports. Tehran responded with a missile attack on the Jewish state
The Israeli military's biggest attack on Iran in decades, carried out overnight under the code name "Rising Lion", targeted all key segments of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. During the operation, leading physicists, including Fereydoun Abbasi, were killed, and technological and military facilities were also hit. The world woke up this morning with the question: has a nuclear conflict just been avoided - or has it just begun
Only one of the 242 passengers survived the crash of an Air India plane on Thursday (June 12th), the airline confirmed
Israel has fiercely attacked Iran because it would allegedly be able to produce atomic weapons in just a few months. Regardless, the arch-enemy of the Jewish state has not been so weak for decades
Israel carried out a "preventive" attack on Iran, Defense Minister Israel Katz said. He cited Tehran's atomic program as the reason. The airstrikes that began after midnight could be a prelude to an all-out attack. In the first wave, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard was killed
Vučić is not defending the state, but himself from the state. With a drum on his back and a guitar in his hands, this man-orchestra performs two or three of the same songs without hearing, with falsifications and falling out of rhythm. His government and politics are like that. In short - dangerous for the environment
Arrests of professors, punishment of people, firing of journalists... The regime of Aleksandar Vučić is shining and is yet to shine. It is the decadent phase of the regime, the one towards the end
The example of the elections in Zaječar and Kosjerić shows that the truth is not given, but assumed. Truth is a task that a citizen fulfills. She always wins
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