The assailant waited for Trump’s last-minute round of golf for hours. 

The incident, which neighbors describe as the second attempt to assassinate the former president trump in as many months. Left them startled. A gunman crouched for than 12 hours in bushes before Trump played a round of golf at his seaside club.

Trump and his friend, the real estate entrepreneur Steve Witkoff. Arrived at the course of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on a gloomy and steamy Sunday afternoon.

At 13:31 EDT (17:31 GMT), a member of the former president’s security detail noticed a rifle sticking out of some vegetation near the sixth hole when the president was on the fifth fairway, which is next to the Palm Beach International Airport and is situated next to busy roadways.

After being safely evacuated, Trump recalled on Monday night hearing what sounded like “probably four or five” gunshots in the distance.

According to federal authorities, a vigilant Secret Service member fired shots at the assailant, who was located 300–500 yards away and could not see Trump clearly.

On X, the previous Twitter, Trump stated, “Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me,” while speaking from his Mar-a-Lago club during a live-streamed event.

Getting on the carts and going along quite well was a breeze. The agent I was working with was outstanding.

Investigators claim the gunman did not fire any shots, and the 27-hole course’s well-kept landscaping and towering palm trees served to hide him.

Federal authorities cited mobile phone data showing that he had been lingering on the public side of the fence since Sunday morning at 01:59 local time.

Two digital cameras, a black plastic bag of food, a rifle range of 440 yards. And a sight to enhance its lens were all parts of the suspect’s arsenal.

On Saturday night, across the nation in Utah, the Republican presidential contender had his last publicly scheduled campaign rally.

According to locals, when Trump isn’t out campaigning, he spends nearly every Sunday at the West Palm Beach golf club.

The former president was “not even really supposed to go there,” according to Secret Service director Ronald Rowe. Who stated on Monday, forcing agents to scramble for a last-minute security plan.

Neighbors of Trump in Palm Beach are understandably curious about the foiled scheme.

Was the ex-president’s arrival to play golf something the suspect had anticipated, or was it more of a wild guess?

After all that time, how did he manage to hide in the bushes while brandishing a rifle?

The assailant abandoned his weapon and backpack before fleeing the scene in a dark Nissan.

After the gunman had been on the run for over 40 minutes. Police finally stopped his car on Interstate 95 and demanded that he exit.

Officers yelled at him to step aside and handcuffed him without incident, as shown on bodycam footage. He appeared composed throughout.

Suspect Ryan Routh,58, smiled and spoke with his counsel as he made an appearance in court on Monday. Routh was wearing a blue prison jumpsuit.

The charges against him included one count of having a firearm in the custody of a convicted criminal and one count of having a firearm with its serial number erased. Potentially further charges may be imposed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) became aware of Routh, a former inmate of Hawaii, in 2019 due to his status as a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Honolulu police were alerted at the time by the bureau.

No one knows why he was going to attack Trump, but the suspect has stated on social media that he supported the Republican in 2016 before changing his mind.

On Monday, bright orange cones, barriers, police cars, and officers encircled Trump’s golf course, protecting it from all directions.

West Palm Beach and the surrounding villages are in disbelief over the occurrence.

“No matter how much security you have and everything else, it can happen,” said Shelby Stevens, a 52-year-old Trump supporter from West Palm Beach, who spoke to the BBC.

Cosme Blanco claims that Trump visits the course as much as twice a week when he’s not campaigning; he has lived within a few blocks of the course for the most of his life.

The Trump supporter, who is 61 years old, noted that the security detail surrounding the golf club is usually not overbearing. On Sunday, though, everything changed when Blanco hurried outdoors five minutes after gunfire erupted and saw helicopters circling the area.

I was worried. According to the Cuban immigrant, “I’ve never seen America change this much.” He will be 62 years old soon.

According to Blanco, a suspect might easily target Trump at his golf course.

From Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s motorcade crossed a bridge that looked out over Lake Worth Lagoon; the trip would have lasted around twelve minutes.

Blanco stated, “It’s common sense” that when the motorcade is approaching, the people around the president will know that he plans to play golf.

They don’t play golf every Sunday, she remarked. “A conspiracy, in my opinion.”

“How could the gunman have gone unnoticed?” “Plus,” she chimed in.

Palitz claimed that she and Trump’s ex-wife Ivana were skiing together. And she speculated that the suspect must have been informed that the president was going to the course that day.

Patricia Pelham, a 30-year Floridian and original Briton. Pondered how the culprit managed to park his car. So close to the scene of the crime that he could dash away so swiftly.

“Why isn’t there security around the perimeter?” inquired of the British woman. Who went on to say that she did not back Trump.

In a statement made on Monday, Democratic President Joe Biden said that the Secret Service “needs more help” and urged Congress to provide additional funding for the organization.

Incumbent presidents usually receive less protection, according to Matranga.

As an example, he claimed that counter-sniper teams are usually not offered to former presidents, unlike Trump.

Since the first attempt on Trump’s life, the Secret Service has been under severe scrutiny. Kimberly Cheatle, the head of the agency, resigned less than two weeks after the event, due to the mounting scrutiny.

According to agency officials, the Secret Service is facing a shortage of resources.