Donald Trump assassination attempt: What we know about alleged gunman Ryan Wesley Routh

Pictures have been released of the gunman suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his golf club, the second attempt on the former US President’s life.

The FBI alleged a gunman attempted to kill Mr Trump at Trump International Gold Club on Sunday, local time (Monday morning, AEST).

Secret Service agents exchanged fire with a gunman armed with an AK-47 near the Florida golf course after spotting the weapon sticking out of a fence.

The alleged gunman, who is now in custody, was identified in US media as Ryan Wesley Routh.

Palm Beach County Sherrif Ric Bradshaw described Routh’s demeanour as “relatively calm, flat, affect” after his arrest.

“He was not displaying a lot of emotions. Never asked what this is about. He was not armed when we took him out of the car,” Sheriff Bradshaw said.

Routh allegedly lay waiting behind bushes about 300 metres away from the Republican presidential candidate, when he was spotted by agents. After shots were fired, he ran from the bushes into a black Nissan.

The 58-year-old has been a frequent critic of politicians, including Mr Trump and current US President Joe Biden, and celebrities like Bruno Mars on social media.

Before Mr Trump was named the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election, Routh supported rival candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, who he reportedly urged to continue their campaigns before they dropped out of the race, the New York Post reports.

He is also a staunch supporter of Ukraine and Taiwan.

One year ago, Routh wrote on LinkedIn he was “in DC and Kyiv to provide soldiers for the war effort”.

His LinkedIn account shows he attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and graduated in 1998.

His profile says he “passed along any meagre remnants of myself in North Carolina” and moved to Hawaii around 2018, where he runs his own business.

“I currently build very simple housing structures for the less fortunate and pursue a wide range of other creative projects towards developing unique products and devices as well as community improvement projects,” he wrote.

“I am constantly looking for collaborative opportunities which yield the most public impact for the improvement of our society.

“I would tremendously enjoy the invitation to join any monumental worthy cause to bring about real change in our world.”

Routh was allegedly armed with an AK-47-style rifle with a scope and had two backpacks and a GoPro, which he reportedly intended to use to “film” the attempted assassination.

Mr Trump was rushed to safety after the incident, which took place when he was between the fifth and sixth hole on the Florida golf course.

This is the second attempt on the former president’s life after he was shot at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 by Thomas Crooks.