Authorities released the first photos of the assassination attempt that took place at former President Donald Trump's golf course early Sunday.
Photos show the alleged shooter holding an AK-47 rifle leaned against a fence, as well as a black backpack and a GoPro attached to a wire.
Law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii.
A second photo shows the suspect being arrested and pulled over by local police on Interstate 95. The suspect's black car is seen being blocked by two police vehicles, including a police van.
President Trump issued a “warning” statement after the incident, in which a man was spotted with a rifle near his Florida golf course and assured people he was “safe and well” hours after being rushed to safety.
The suspect was spotted on the green one hole ahead of Trump by Secret Service agents, who fired shots at the suspect but were not hit.
“I heard shots fired near me, but before the rumors get out of control, I want you to hear this first: I am safe and well!” Trump said in a statement.
“Nothing can slow me down. I will never surrender!”
We bring you the latest on the thwarted assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Florida.
The former president was nearly assassinated two months ago when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump by the ear and killing a former fire chief. The shooting came after a series of mistakes by the Secret Service, including failing to install basic safeguards and refusing requests for additional security.
President Trump called for unity at the Republican National Convention just four days after the assassination attempt.
“The divisions and discord in our society must be healed. As Americans, we are bound by one destiny, a common destiny. We will stand together, or we will fall apart,” he said in a speech at the Republican National Convention.
Here's what we know about the assassination attempt on President Trump in Florida.
Originally from North Carolina, Routh lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he works as a cabin builder.
He enthusiastically commented on posts by politicians and pop culture figures, and called on anyone with even a passing connection to any cause he believed in, from stopping a war in Ukraine to saving the steps of Oahu, Hawaii.
“I feel blessed to have been born in America and to have been blessed with the freedom and opportunity I have, and I hope to not squander these precious things, to do more and get less,” his original profile read.
Rouse, who is running for mayor of Honolulu, also has his own website, where his forum features more detailed versions of the X account's posts, including arguments for separation of church and state and opinions on world affairs.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
