Trump safe after new assassination attempt, suspect arrested

Sept 15 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was safe on Sunday after what the FBI said appeared to be a second assassination attempt while he was golfing on his course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Law enforcement officials said U.S. Secret Service agents spotted and fired on a gunman in some bushes near the property line who dropped an AK-47-style assault rifle and was arrested after fleeing the scene.

The New York Times and Fox News identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, citing unnamed law enforcement officials.

The FBI declined to comment on the suspect's identity, and other law enforcement agencies involved did not respond to requests for comment.

After spotting the rifle barrel about 400 to 500 yards (365 to 457 meters) away from Trump as they cleared holes of potential threats ahead of his play, the agents engaged the gunman and fired at least four rounds of ammunition around 1:30 p.m. (1730 GMT), Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told a news conference.

The gunman then dropped his rifle, two backpacks, and other items and fled in a black Nissan car. A witness, the sheriff said, saw the gunman and managed to take photos of his car and license plate.

"The Secret Service did exactly what should have been done," Bradshaw added.

After the suspect fled the scene, law enforcement officials said they sent out an alert to statewide agencies with the information on his vehicle, which led to sheriff’s deputies in neighboring Martin County apprehending the suspect on I-95.

"We have somebody in custody right now,” said Bradshaw, who did not identify the suspect or give details on a possible motive.

Source: Reuters