FBI investigating what 'appears to be an attempted assassination' on Donald Trump after shots fired near golf course
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has shared that it is investigating what appears to be a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
CNN reports that the FBI is responding to a shooting incident that took place near Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, with the FBI clarifying that it 'is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination' of the former President.
A suspect connected to the shooting has been detained by local police, with the Martin County Sheriff's Office saying in a statement: "Northbound I-95 at 714 is shut down. Based on BOLO information released by Palm Beach County, the Martin County Sheriff's Office has stopped a vehicle and taken a suspect into custody believed to be connected to a shooting incident at Trump International in Palm Beach County."
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Martin's County is north of Palm Beach where the incident took place at the Trump International Golf Club. The golf club was swiftly placed into lockdown afterwards.
Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder further added during a news conference that the suspect appeared to be 'relatively calm'.
"He was not displaying a lot of emotions. Never asked, 'What is this about?'" the sheriff said.
He clarified that the unnamed suspect was not armed when law enforcement took him into custody. The sheriff added that the suspect's vehicle will be taken to the FBI who will take over the investigation along with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the US Secret Service.
An FBI representative has since asked the public to submit any tips or helpful information regarding the shooting incident via tip line 1-800-CALLFBI or on the FBI’s website.
"What we need right now is for the public to avoid the area around the golf course. We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI," said Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri of the Miami field office at a news conference.
The former President is 'safe' and released a statement via the Trump campaign sharing: "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! I will always love you for supporting me.
"Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again."
Another statement from the White House confirmed that both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed on the situation.
The statement read: "The President and Vice President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing.
"They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team."
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Yasmeen Hamadeh