Trump assassination attempt: Suspect faces two weapons charges
The incident is being investigated as an apparent assassination attempt on Trump (Reuters)
US authorities on Monday filed two weapons charges against a suspect in an attempt to target former US President Donald Trump. According to allegations in court documents, a US Secret Service agent who was monitoring the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday evening while Trump was playing, “saw what appeared to be a rifle protruding from the tree line.” After the agent fired his shot at the weapon, a witness saw a man later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, flee the area. Routh fled in a vehicle and was later arrested by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Routh was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. At a news conference on Monday, FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri said the incident was being investigated as “an apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump,” and Veltri confirmed that the investigation was ongoing. The suspect “did not have a line of sight to the former president” and did not shoot at Secret Service agents before fleeing the scene, said Ronald Rowe, acting director of the U.S. Secret Service.
White House slams Musk’s ‘assassinating Biden, Harris’ post
The Secret Service said Monday it was aware of a post by billionaire Elon Musk on the social media platform X in which he said there were no attempts to assassinate US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Musk posted the post after a man suspected of plotting to assassinate former Republican President Donald Trump was arrested near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach on Sunday. Musk, the owner of X, CEO of Tesla and a Trump supporter, wrote on Sunday that “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden, Kamala,” along with an emoji of a face with a raised eyebrow. The post quickly drew criticism from both the left and right. Some expressed concerns that his words, directed at his nearly 200 million followers, could incite violence against Biden and Harris. Musk has since deleted the post, but the Secret Service, which protects current and former presidents, vice presidents and other senior officials, said it was aware of the matter. “The Secret Service is aware of Elon Musk’s post,” a Secret Service spokesperson said. “We do not comment on matters related to protective intelligence. However, we can say that the Secret Service investigates all threats to the people we work to protect.” The White House has criticized Musk for his post. “Violence should only be condemned, not encouraged or joked about. This is irresponsible rhetoric,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Monday.
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