Possible assassination attempt against Donald Trump foiled by Secret Service. Kremlin: 'Playing with fire has its consequences'

A new, possible attack against Donald Trump shakes the American election campaign. The act was foiled by the Secret Service, which is in charge of protecting presidents and candidates for the White House. Agents spotted a man pointing a rifle at bushes near the Florida golf course where Trump was playing at the time and opened fire, putting him to flight. The man was later caught by law enforcement, aided by the report of a passer-by who noticed the car in which he tried to flee. An AK 47 automatic rifle with a telescope and two backpacks were found in the bushes. It is unclear whether the man managed to shoot the officers before fleeing, but there were no injuries.

The FBI has indicated that it has opened an investigation into what 'appears to be an assassination attempt'. If confirmed, it is the second attempt in less than two months on Trump's life, following the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that saw him wounded in the face by a young shooter whose motive remains unclear. The spectre is that the new episode will inflame the political climate and an already tense and tough election campaign.

The theatre this time was Trump's own golf head, the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, a few kilometres from the tycoon's residence in Mar-a-Lago. Trump, unharmed, was taken to safety by the Secret Service and later to Mar-a-Lago. He was accompanied by some trusted advisers and agents in the golf match as he returned from several rallies in recent days.

Initial reconstructions were quickly offered by the authorities. "Secret Service personnel opened fire on a gunman," said agency representative Rafael Barros. His name is Ryan Wesley Routh: he had voted for Trump in 2016, but then, four years later, said he was ''disappointed'' with the American president. As Sky News recalls, in June 2020 Routh had written on social media: 'You were my choice in 2016, I and the world hoped President Trump would be different and better, but we were all very disappointed and it looks like you are getting worse and regressing'. Addressing Trump he had added: "I will be happy when you are gone." In March this year, Routh had voted in the North Carolina Democratic primary. Records also show that he donated more than $100 to ActBlue, which processes donations for Democrats, federal campaign finance records show.

Local sheriff Ric Bradshaw later confirmed the discovery of an AK 47-style rifle and a GoPro camera that the bomber allegedly wanted to use to take pictures. A deputy walking within striking distance of a pothole in front of Trump first spotted the suspect and 'immediately confronted' him, at around 1:30 local time. Once apprehended as he fled down the highway, according to the officers, 'the man would show no particular emotion'.