A man suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump appeared in federal court yesterday, where he was charged with two weapons-related crimes, a day after he was seen hiding in the bushes on the former US president's golf course in Florida with a rifle.
Additional charges are expected to be filed, and the initial charges allow authorities to hold him in custody while the investigation continues, Reuters points out. in West Palm Beach, a few hundred meters away from where the former president played. The attacker fled in a car, leaving behind two backpacks and his weapon. The suspect, identified as Rajan Raut, 58, was arrested about 40 minutes later.
Trump, the Republican nominee in the Nov. 5 presidential election, was not injured, but the incident raised new questions about possible Secret Service lapses and how an armed suspect was able to get close to him, just two months after another gunman shot a Republican during a rally 13 .July in Pennsylvania, and wounded him in the ear.
According to a federal criminal report, cellphone records show Raut lay in wait near the former president's golf course in Florida for nearly 12 hours before authorities spotted him.
The report also states that Raut has two prior convictions, both times in North Carolina. He had a 2002 conviction for possession of weapons of mass destruction and a 2010 conviction for possession of stolen goods.
Trump blamed Biden and Harris for the assassination attempt, claiming the suspected gunman was acting in accordance with the Democrats' "very inflammatory rhetoric," though authorities have yet to provide evidence of any motive.
"Because of their rhetoric, I am the target of attack, while I am actually the one who will save the country, and they are the ones who are destroying the country - both inside and outside," Trump said on Fox television.
The Secret Service, which protects US presidents, presidential candidates and other high-profile officials, has come under scrutiny after a previous assassination attempt on Trump, prompting former director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. The agency beefed up Trump's security after the July 13 attack, in which agents killed the gunman.
The Secret Service "needs more help," including possible additional personnel, President Joe Biden said yesterday, commenting on the attempted attack on Trump, and added: "Thank God, the president is fine."
The Acting Director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, traveled to Florida yesterday, according to the media. Roe, who took over after Cheatle's resignation, told Congress on July 30 that he was "ashamed" of the security lapses in the previous attack.
Trump's Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, announced on the X network about the attempted attack on Sunday that "violence has no place in America."
Raut, according to media reports, was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and traveled there after the Russian invasion in 2022, trying to recruit foreign fighters. Profiles on Xu, Facebook and Linkedin under his name contained messages of support for Ukraine as well as statements describing Trump as a threat to American democracy.
Elon Musk, the billionaire and owner of the X Network, posted and then deleted a message on the social network Sunday, questioning why no one has tried to assassinate Biden or Kamala Harris. In a follow-up post yesterday, Musk, who has endorsed Trump, said he was joking.
The Kremlin announced yesterday that the alleged Ukrainian connections of the suspect in the assassination attempt against Trump showed that "playing with fire" has consequences. "It's not up to us to think, it's the American intelligence services that should think. In any case, playing with fire has its consequences," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the assassination attempt on the former US president. When asked whether an assassination attempt could lead to destabilization of the USA, Peskov said that it does not concern Russia, although Russia is monitoring the situation. "We see how tense the situation is there, including between political competitors," said Peskov. "The political struggle is escalating, and different methods are being used."
Support for Trump from European friends
European friends of Donald Trump expressed their solidarity with the former US president after the second assassination attempt. "It is clear that President Trump's life is in danger, until his victory. We are praying for you, Mr. President!" said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
"Full support for Donald Trump after another assassination attempt. Trials, violence, fanatics and communists will not stop us. Go ahead with your head held high!" said Italy's right-wing Vice Prime Minister Mateo Salvini.
"Again! This time an assassin with an automatic rifle was waiting for Trump while he was playing golf. The bullets missed again. This must not happen again in the Western world," Bjorn Hoke, one of the leaders of Germany's right-wing AfD, announced online.
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