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FBI investigating ‘apparent assassination attempt’ on Donald Trump

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One person has been arrested and an assault rifle recovered after “an apparent assassination attempt” on Donald Trump, according to the FBI.

Mr Trump was believed to have been taking part in a round at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach when shots were heard at 2pm local time.

According to Sky’s US partner NBC, Secret Service agents saw someone they suspected of aiming a gun at the former president, so they opened fire.

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Secret Service move Trump to safety after shots heard

It is not yet known whether the suspect fired first or fired a round at all or if only the Secret Service fired.

One person is currently being questioned by local police and a gun was found in the bushes near where the former president was playing.

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Police vehicles are pictured near Trump International Golf Club. Pic: AP

Afterwards, a statement from Mr 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! I will always love you for supporting me.

“Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again. May God bless you.”

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told reporters his officers followed the suspect vehicle for a while before making a “felony stop”.

“Our road units picked the vehicle up and we waited a while. We didn’t stop him right away. We didn’t want a high-speed chase.

“So we were able to wait until we had adequate units, surrounded the vehicle, and forced it to a stop.”

He added that due to good tactics, they managed to take the suspect into custody peacefully.

A witness said he saw “20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets” as he described the emergency response outside Mr Trump’s golf course.

“From what I saw, five black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course,” Max Egusquiza told the AP news agency.

“There were about 20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets,” he said.

Mr Trump has since returned to his Mar-a-Lago resort.

A White House statement said: “The President and Vice President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing.

“They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team.”

It comes two months after the Republican presidential nominee was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

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