(CNN) — Donald Trump’s campaign said Sunday that the former US president is “safe following gunfire in his vicinity.”
“President Trump is safe following gunfire in his immediate vicinity. There are no further details at this time,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that provided no additional details.
The former president was playing golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The course was immediately closed, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Secret Service said on X that it is working with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a protective incident involving Trump. The Secret Service said the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m.
The FBI, for its part, said on Sunday that it is “investigating what appears to be an assassination attempt” against Donald Trump.
Trump said in a fundraising email that he is “safe and well.”
“There were shots fired in my vicinity, but before the rumors start to get out of hand, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and fine!” she said in the email.
“Nothing will stop me. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! I will always love you for supporting me.”
Trump is named Republican candidate, just hours after suffering an attack in Pennsylvania
One person has been arrested in connection with the incident at Trump International Golf Club on Sunday.
West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a Secret Service agent was able to spot the rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and “engaged” the suspect.
Security forces found an AK-47-style weapon and other items left by the suspect where he positioned himself in the bushes near the Trump International Golf Club.
“In the bushes, where this guy was, there’s an AK-47 style rifle with a scope on it; two backpacks, which were hanging on the fence and had pottery in them; and a GoPro. (…) So they’re being processed right now,” Bradshaw said.
Authorities believe a gunman was planning to attack former President Donald Trump at his golf club, according to sources briefed on the matter.
Trump was between holes five and six of the golf course; the suspect was several holes ahead, according to sources
Donald Trump was moving between the fifth and sixth holes when the incident occurred, a source briefed on the matter told CNN.
The suspect confronted by the Secret Service was several holes ahead of the former president, according to two law enforcement sources.
The Secret Service shot the suspect as a protective measure, the source said.
Trump was golfing with donor Steve Witkoff when the incident occurred, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
One person in connection with the incident was arrested; witness helped in his capture
A suspect who authorities believe is connected to Sunday’s incident at Trump International Golf Club has been taken into custody, according to a Facebook post from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
The sheriff’s office has “stopped a vehicle and taken a suspect into custody,” the post said. A section of Interstate 95 near State Route 714 in Martin County is closed, the office said.
“We will update this information as it becomes available,” the post said.
Martin County is north of Palm Beach County, where Sunday’s incident at Trump International Golf Club took place.
A witness saw the suspect — the person arrested in connection with the security incident near Trump — running through the bushes near the golf club and took a photo of his vehicle that led to the suspect’s apprehension, according to the Palm Beach County sheriff.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Sunday that his office was alerted at 1:30 p.m. ET of shots fired by the U.S. Secret Service.
“We were able to intercept a witness who came to us and said, ‘Hey, I saw the guy run out of the bushes, get into a black Nissan, and I took a picture of the vehicle and the license plate,’ which was great,” Bradshaw said.
Authorities were able to locate the vehicle and alert the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, who arrested the suspect. The witness was then able to identify the man.
CCTV/Florida Department of Transportation traffic camera footage shows traffic stopped on Interstate 95 at mile marker 108.5 northbound as the Martin County Sheriff’s Office takes into custody a suspect “believed to be connected” to the incident at Trump International Golf Club. (Obtained by Sarah Dewberry/CNN)
Suspect in custody was “relatively calm” when he was taken into custody, sheriff says
The man arrested in the shooting of former President Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, was “relatively calm” when he was taken into custody, Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said Sunday.
“He didn’t show a lot of emotion. He never asked, ‘What’s this about?'” the sheriff said.
Snyder said the unnamed suspect was not armed when law enforcement removed him from the car. He said the sheriff’s office will place the vehicle into the custody of the FBI, which will handle the investigation, along with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service.
Snyder said his agency “flooded” Interstate 95 and closed a large swath of the highway before eventually safely stopping the suspect vehicle.
“Investigators have told me clearly that we have the suspect they are looking for in Palm Beach County,” Snyder said.
The suspect has not made any statement about his involvement in the alleged assassination attempt, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
Authorities have not released the suspect’s name.
Biden and Harris ‘relieved to know’ Trump is safe
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are “relieved to know” that Donald Trump is safe and have been briefed on the security incident involving the former president while playing golf earlier on Sunday, according to the White House.
The Biden-Harris team, who are in Washington today without any public events, will keep you informed.
“The President and Vice President have been briefed on the security incident at Trump International Golf Club, where former President Trump was playing golf. They are relieved to know that he is safe. Their team will keep them regularly informed,” the White House said in a statement.
–With reporting by CNN’s John Miller, Sam Fossum, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Jack Forrest, Cindy Von Quednow and Maureen Chowdhury.
