The incident happened at around 2 pm local time when US Secret Service agents stationed on the golf course where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of a rifle sticking through the shrubs that line the course.
ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump was the target of what the FBI said "appears to be an attempted assassination" at his golf club in Florida.
The incident happened at around 2 pm local time (8 pm CET) when US Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course.
An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
The man was later stopped by law enforcement in neighbouring Martin County.
"It does appear that we certainly have the vehicle involved in the incident at Mar-a-Lago. And we have the suspect that they were looking for. And now the FBI and the Secret Service will take over that investigation," said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
"What we need right now is for the public to avoid the area around the golf course," said Jeffrey Veltri, the special agent in charge from the FBI’s Miami Field Office.
"We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI, alongside our partners with the US Secret Service and the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, as well as Martin County Sheriff's Office and state and local law enforcement," he added.
Lorries lining Trump Tower
Sunday's assassination attempt is the latest incident in an election campaign year marked by unprecedented violence.
On 13 July, Trump was shot at during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.
That incident has prompted new questions about Secret Service protective operations after the agency admitted failures in preventing that assassination attempt.
In an email to supporters, Trump said: "There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I am safe and well."
"Nothing will slow me down. I will never surrender," he said.
He returned to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach where he lives, according to a person familiar with Trump's movements who was not authorised to discuss them publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
It was not immediately clear whether the development would affect his campaign schedule.
Trump was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on Monday night on the social media site X. He planned a town hall event on Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, followed by a rally on Wednesday on New York's Long Island.
ADVERTISEMENTIn a statement on X, incumbent president Joe Biden wrote, "I am relieved that the former President is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened."
In mid-July, Biden withdrew from November’s presidential race, giving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party's nominee.
"I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America," she said in a statement on X.
Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July.
ADVERTISEMENTAt Trump Tower in New York, parked tipper lorries form a wall outside the building when he is there. At outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind bulletproof glass.
The Florida golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, but there are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line.
Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump when he plays.
Agents also usually bring an armoured vehicle onto the course to shelter Trump quickly should a threat arise.
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