Ryan Routh, suspect in Trump assassination attempt, may have lain in wait for 12 hours

A man suspected of hiding for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was charged with two gun-related crimes on Monday, a day after authorities say he was spotted in the bushes with a rifle as the former US president played nearby.

The suspect never had the Republican presidential candidate for the November 5 election in his line of sight and did not fire any shots. But the incident raised questions about how an armed man was able to get so close to Trump, just two months after another gunman grazed his ear with a bullet during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump’s visit to his golf course in West Palm Beach was not on his public schedule, acting US Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told reporters on Monday afternoon, and it was not clear whether the suspect knew Trump would be there.

The Secret Service opened fire after an agent sweeping the course saw a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes a few hundred metres away from the former president, who was on the fairway of the fifth hole.

“All of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air. I guess probably four or five,” Trump said during an event on X Spaces. “Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me. … We got into the carts and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job.”