news

xinhua news agency, beijing, september 16 (xinhua) -- republican presidential candidate and former president donald trump of the united states encountered an assassination attempt while playing golf in florida on september 15. trump is safe and the suspect has been detained.

this is the second time trump has been tried for assassination in two months. the last attempt took place on the podium of a campaign rally in mid-july. british media commented that such phenomena show that "political violence has become the new normal in the united states."

gunshots on a golf course

the incident took place at the trump international golf club in west palm beach, florida, which is owned by trump. trump was playing golf with his golfing friends at the time.

palm beach county sheriff rick bradshaw said the incident occurred at around 13:30 local time on the 15th (1:30 a.m. beijing time on the 16th). the suspect was holding an ak-47 rifle with a scope and hiding in the bushes about 300 to 400 meters away from trump. after the secret service found the barrel of the gun sticking out of the bushes, they fired at least four shots in the direction of the suspect.

trump's close friend and fox news host sean hannity said that steve witkoff, who was playing golf with trump at the time of the incident, described to him that they heard several "bangs" when they reached the fifth hole, and several secret service officers immediately pounced on trump and surrounded him tightly. then a cart brought steel protective gear and escorted trump away.

bradshaw explained that since trump is not an incumbent president, the security deployment at the stadium is limited and everything is arranged by the secret service.

however, according to the associated press, citing u.s. officials, trump already enjoys higher security protection than many former presidents due to his high exposure and his status as a presidential candidate. trump's protection measures were upgraded around the time of the attempted assassination at a campaign rally in pennsylvania in july.

suspect's identity known

after the suspect was found, he abandoned his gun and drove away from the scene. witnesses took photos of the black nissan he was driving and the license plate. law enforcement agencies across florida received tracking alerts, and law enforcement officers in neighboring martin county eventually captured the suspect on the interstate. local law enforcement said the gunman left behind the gun, two backpacks hanging on the fence, and a gopro camera at the scene.

the suspect's motive for the attack was not immediately clear, but his identity was soon revealed to the media by law enforcement officers: ryan wesley routh, 58, from hawaii.

florida prosecutors said the suspect will first face state charges, with applications for arrest warrants and pretrial detention orders pending, and federal charges may follow.

trump later sent a group email to his supporters to report that he was safe. he wrote: "there were gunshots near me, and before rumors spread, i want you to hear this news first: i am safe!" he did not specify whether his recent scheduled itinerary had changed.

the white house said president joseph biden and vice president kamala harris have been briefed on the situation and will be reported on the progress of the investigation.

the “new normal” of political violence?

in response to the assassination attempt, the bbc wrote in an article that americans have had to adapt to occasional political violence, both large and small, over the past few years. “partisan divisions have become more acute and entrenched, and the codes of conduct that constrain candidates have become increasingly eroded.”

the article said that with gun violence rampant across the united states, such attacks may be "another inevitable new normal."

in the failed assassination attempt on july 13, trump suffered a minor ear injury and one rally attendee died. the murderer was a 20-year-old american man who was shot dead on the spot. the relevant investigation is still ongoing, and the doubts about security omissions in the us political and public opinion have forced the then director of the secret service to resign.

the lead member of a bipartisan investigative task force in the u.s. congress said on the 15th that the task force has asked the secret service to report the latest situation and "seek answers to today's and previous events." (reporter: shen min; video: gou hongjing)