Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, has been arrested in connection with an alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Photos of Routh show him with dyed blonde and blue hair, wearing an American flag t-shirt and a camouflage vest, with a background of various national flags on social media.
On Sunday, while Trump was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, the Secret Service spotted Routh hiding in bushes near the course.
Routh was reportedly armed with an AK-47 rifle, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera. Secret Service agents fired at him as he fled in a black Nissan but he was apprehended shortly afterward on a motorway about 50 miles away.
Trump was reported to be safe after the incident, which was described by the FBI as an apparent assassination attempt. The Trump campaign confirmed his safety and released a statement reassuring supporters.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, speaking from Rome, expressed deep concern and stressed that violence has no place in politics.
“I was very worried by the news about this attempt. Looks like an assassination attempt, very worried about it.
“Obviously, there’s now an investigation going on so I won’t say much more about the details, but I think it is really important that we’re all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process,” Starmer said.
International reactions to the violence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed relief that Trump was unharmed and condemned political violence.
“I am glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family. It’s good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world.” Zelensky wrote on X.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also commented on the incident, noting the importance of a peaceful democratic process and expressing relief that Trump was safe.
Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister, echoed the sentiment that political violence is unacceptable.