Motive Ukraine war?

Attempted Trump assassination: what we know so far

Police forces investigate the area around the Trump International Golf Club after the assassination attempt.(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/JOE RAEDLE)

Donald Trump's campaign team initially reported shots fired "in the vicinity" of the former US president - then the FBI got in touch: the US Federal Police believe there was an attempted assassination attempt on the current Republican presidential candidate.

The 78-year-old was unharmed in the incident at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, and a suspect was arrested. Many questions remain unanswered.

What we know

The incident:
Trump was playing golf at his club in West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon when a Secret Service bodyguard saw a gun barrel protruding from the fence of the golf course, which was planted with bushes. Shots were fired as a result. "We're not sure right now if the person was in a position to shoot at our agents. But certainly our agents were able to engage the individual," a Secret Service representative described at a press conference.

The escape:
According to the police, the suspect fled in a car. However, a witness had observed him and was able to help the police identify the car and the man. The suspect was apprehended a short time later on a highway near the scene of the crime, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

Crime scene:
Trump's golf club is surrounded by a fence, with meter-high bushes and trees in front of it. The police cordoned off an area right next to a road - presumably the place where the man had positioned himself. According to the police, he left behind an AK-47 assault rifle with a telescopic sight. The security forces also found two rucksacks and a compact camera.

The suspect:
So far, police have not made the man's identity public. US media report, citing police sources, that the suspect is a 58-year-old man who works as a self-employed building contractor in the US state of Hawaii.

According to the US media, the suspect is Ryan Wesley Routh. The photo shows him at a rally. He called on foreign heads of state and government as well as international organizations to help evacuate civilians and Ukrainian soldiers from Mariupol.(Bild: APA/AFP/AFPTV)

What we don't know

The motive:
Investigators did not initially provide any official details about the suspect or his motives. However, US media reported that the man had frequently made political statements on social networks and was particularly supportive of Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia - whose most important ally is the US government under President Joe Biden. He had tried to recruit foreigners to fight in Ukraine. It remains to be seen whether this has anything to do with what happened on the golf course. According to CNN, the man also made critical comments online about Trump, who always claims that he can end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.

The approach:
As a presidential candidate, Trump does not have a public schedule like incumbent President Joe Biden. It is therefore unclear how the suspect knew that Trump would be at his golf club that day, if he was indeed targeting the politician. Trump played golf with real estate investor and party donor Steve Witkoff on Sunday afternoon. US journalists noted that it would be impossible for local residents to miss Trump driving his motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago estate, just a few miles away, to West Palm Beach.

The danger:
The suspect was only a few hundred meters away from Trump, according to police. It is unclear how, after the assassination attempt on the Republican two months ago in Pennsylvania, a gunman was able to get so close to him again. What is clear, however, is that a presidential candidate and former president enjoys less Secret Service protection than an incumbent president.