While the FBI has launched an investigation into the apparent assassination attempt, the state of Florida has launched its own probe, according to its governor.

"The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee," Republican Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on X., external

DeSantis is a key figure in the Republican party and MAGA movement. He contested the Republican primaries before dropping out and backing Trump's presidential campaign.

Image source, Reuters

The word "unprecedented" gets thrown around a lot in coverage of US politics, but it certainly feels like the right phrase for this election season.

Here's a recap of the key moments in the last few months:

27 June Joe Biden and Donald Trump debate. Biden’s performance is panned and it sets off a series of calls for him to stand down.

13 July Trump survives an assassination attempt and is shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

15 July Trump appears, bandage on ear, to a standing ovation at the Republican National Convention (RNC). JD Vance is announced as his running mate.

18 July Trump speaks for the first time about the assassination attempt.

21 July Biden withdraws from the presidential race and endorses Kamala Harris.

6 August Harris announces Tim Walz as her running mate.

22 August Harris officially accepts the nomination from her party at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

11 September Trump and Harris debate. Both claimed victory after a tense TV showdown.

15 September Trump is reported safe after what the FBI said was an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf course.

Sarah Smith
North America editor

The suspect was in shrubbery on the perimeter of the golf course where you can get to from the road, we're told.

A Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out from the bushes, about 300-500 yards away, and fired at the suspect who then took off, authorities said.

It's remarkable that he could have got that close to Donald Trump, within shooting distance, with a high powered weapon.

So there will be big questions for the Secret Service to answer.

I think it's going to come down to a row about resourcing. The Secret Service is likely to say they simply haven't been given enough of a detail around former president Trump to do something like secure a whole golf course.

That's even though they are meant to now have more resources now than when the last assassination attempt took pace in Pennsylvania.

The Americast team has just recorded an emergency episode all about what has happened to Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach.

Three of our hosts - Sarah Smith, North American Editor, Anthony Zurcher, North American correspondent, and Marianna Spring, social media and disinformation correspondent - all jumped on a microphone to discuss the attempted assassination.

What do we know about the suspect? How is it being discussed online? And what could it mean for the election?

You can listen on BBC Sounds.

It was around 13:30 local time on a warm Sunday afternoon in Florida and Donald Trump was playing a round of golf on his course in West Palm Beach.

Just one hole ahead of the former president, a Secret Service agent was on patrol and saw something strange in bushes.

"He was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence," Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters.

The Secret Service "engaged that individual", Bradshaw said, and they fled.

Authorities now believe that individual was Ryan Wesley Routh.

While authorities said Routh managed to escape in his car, he was apparently spotted by a witness who snapped a photo of the black Nissan he was driving.

An urgent alert was put out for the vehicle and shortly after, they got a hit, authorities said.

A car was stopped on a motorway in Martin County, about a 45 minute drive from the golf course, and a suspected was arrested.

Sheriff William Snyder said he was calm, and displaying little emotion.

Tom Bateman
Reporting from West Palm Beach

On the perimeter of Trump's golf course, portable flood lights are shining onto a single row of palm trees which are sealed by police tape.

We can't get close as squad cars block the route, but this is obviously a key area of investigation.

Behind the trees and a tall hedge row is hole six of the course, towards which police say Trump was headed.

They say that’s when the Secret Service advance security sweep spotted a rifle poking from the bushes.

But there's a key bit of detail we still don’t have: Whether or not the gunman fired.

Either at the Secret Service agents or Donald Trump, who police say was 300-500 yards away from the assailant.

They’ve said only that an agent or agents fired at the suspect: “We are not sure right now if the individual was able to take a shot at our agents, but for sure our agents were able to engage with the suspect," said Rafael Barros from the Secret Service Miami Field Office.

America faces new normal in political violencepublished at 07:13 British Summer Time 16 September

07:13 BST 16 September

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

After decades without political violence directed at a major-party presidential candidate, the US has now experienced two major incidents in the space of two months - with former president Donald Trump the target on both occasions..

Americans have had to adjust to “new normals” in politics - large and small - on a seemingly regular basis in the past few years.

The national discourse has coarsened, partisan divisions have sharpened and become more entrenched, and the standards for candidate behaviour have eroded.

Given the national epidemic of gun violence, these kind of attacks are perhaps another, inevitable new normal.

But for now, it is still shocking.

Image source, Reuters

“Violence has no place in America,” Vice-President Kamala Harris has said in a statement.

Details of the apparent assassination attempt - the identity and motivation of the assailant in particular - will ultimately determine the impact this has on American politics.

But, for the moment, it seems like – the vice-president’s comments notwithstanding - this kind of violence is increasingly part of today’s America.

Alex Lederman
Reporting from West Palm Beach

As we approach the Trump International Golf Club past midnight, the police sirens blare in the dark night’s sky. Four police cars block the road, right next to a glossy sign with golden script announcing the golf club’s presence.

Red police tape surrounds the premises, reading CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS.

We pull up in a gas station across the road, where we see two other media crews set up, across from the bushes surrounding the golf course’s perimeter.

It's the same shrubs from which Secret Service officers saw a rifle pop out earlier today. But nobody is allowed anywhere near those bushes anymore. The police cars and tape block off anyone from getting close.

Here's a clip of the local sheriff described the moment the suspect was apprehended.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that a Secret Service agent had spotted a weapon poking out of bushes on Trump's golf course in Florida.

Image source, Reuters

The BBC's US partner, CBS News, has named the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, citing official sources, but what more do we know about him?

BBC Verify has found social media profiles matching that name, they indicate he called for foreign fighters to go to Ukraine to battle against Russian forces.

Routh, who had no military experience, told the New York Times in 2023 he had travelled to Ukraine immediately after Russia's invasion in 2022 to find military recruits among Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban.

"Soldiers, please do not call me. We are still trying to get Ukraine to accept Afghan soldiers and hope to have some answers in the coming months... please have patience," he wrote on Facebook in July.

Early reports suggest Routh had a criminal record and, according to CBS sources, he was charged and convicted of numerous felony offences - including carrying a concealed weapon.

Speaking to US media, Mr Routh's son, Oran, described him as a "loving and caring father".

Senior politicians from both sides of the political aisle have expressed relief that former president Donald Trump was not harmed in the assassination attempt.

Shortly after the incident, Vice-President Kamala Harris said she had been briefed on gunshots being fired near Trump. "I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America." she wrote on X.

Harris's running mate Tim Walz echoed her sentiment, saying: "Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation."

Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance said he spoke to Trump before news of the incident was made public and said the former president was "amazingly, in good spirits".

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham similarly said Trump was "in good spirits" and "more resolved than ever to save our country".

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer commended the Secret Service on their quick response, and said the perpetrator "must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law".

President Joe Biden also commended the work of the Secret Service and said "there is no place for political violence, or for any violence ever, in our country".

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning to our readers in the UK and Europe. If you're just joining us, here's a brief recap of the last few hours:

• Donald Trump was rushed to safety on Sunday after what the FBI described as an apparent assassination attempt at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida
• The suspected gunman, apparently hiding in the bushes on the edge of the golf course, was spotted by a Secret Service agent who was carrying out security checks while Trump was playing golf
• The agent saw a rifle barrel poking out of bushes and engaged the suspect, who officials say was about 300 to 500 yards (274 to 557m) away from Trump
• The suspect fled in a car but was later stopped and arrested on the I-95 highway. The BBC's US partner, CBS News, has named him as Ryan Wesley Routh, citing official sources.
• An AK-47-style rifle, a GoPro camera and two backpacks were later found near where the suspect had been hiding, officials said
• Trump was not injured and later posted on social media saying he was "safe and well"

You can read more on what we knowhere, and stay with us as we bring you more updates.

Florida Democrat representative Jared Moskowitz, who is one of the members of the congressional task force looking into the first attempted assassination on Trump in July, says it is "deeply disturbing" that there has been a second apparent attempt on the former president's life.

"I am concerned that Donald Trump is actually not safe.

"What process allowed the threat to get so close to the former president, especially with the fact that there was an assassination attempt just two months ago?" he told MSNBC on Sunday evening.

The congressman also questioned how the suspect - identified by US media as Ryan Wesley Routh - was able to acquire his weapon.

Donald Trump has thanked the Secret Service, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and law enforcement for what he called "an incredible job done today" to keep him safe.

"THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" he wrote on Truth Social, external, a social networking site he founded.

"I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!" he added.

How did the events of the day unfold, and who is Ryan Wesley Routh, the man identified by US media as a suspect following an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump? The BBC's analysis editor Ros Atkins has more.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says on X that "the safety and security of Presidential candidates and other protectees is the highest priority for the Secret Service".

But this protection is now under renewed scrutiny. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's office said the security at Mar-a-Lago would have been different if Trump was a sitting president as they would have surrounded the entire golf course.

After the assassination attempt in Butler in July, Trump's security was ramped up, but politicians on both sides of aisle now say it isn't enough.

New York congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, said on X that Trump should have the same security level as the sitting president.

Fellow New York congressman Ritchie Torres, a Democrat who helped introduce a bill to enhance protections for all major candidates in July, told Axios: "Anything less than maximum protection is a self-inflicted wound that puts our nation's stability at grave risk."

The son of Ryan Wesley Routh - the suspect named by US media in connection with the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump - has described him as “a loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man".

Routh’s eldest son, Oran, spoke to CNN via text, saying: “I don’t know what’s happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent.”

Image source, Reuters

JD Vance's team earlier said it was considering amending his schedule - but we're yet to hear about any possible changes to Donald Trump's plans over the next few days.

On Monday, he is slated to launch his cryptocurrency platform, World Liberty Financial, with an address at his golf resort - the location of the apparent assassination attempt.

Then on Tuesday he's is due to attend a town hall in Flint, Michigan - a swing state Trump won in 2016 but lost in 2020.

Vice President Kamala Harris has issued a fuller statement following the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, expressing gratitude for Trump's safety.

"I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former president Trump today," Harris says in the statement, issued via the White House.

"As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.

"I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the US Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance.

"As President Biden said, our Administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission."

Harris had earlier tweeted saying "violence has no place in America".

Fresh images show Secret Service and Homeland Security agents at the former home of Ryan Routh in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Ryan Wesley Routh, in his 50s, has been identified by US media as a suspect following the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Florida.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters