'I figured he must be either dead or in prison by now...'

Those who know Ryan Routh talk of his previous 'escapades'

- TOM WATLING, JUSTIN ROHRLICH, GUSTAF KILANDER, RHIAN LUBIN

A suspected gunman is now in custody after Secret Service agents foiled what appears to have been a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump in the space of just two months.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was identified by federal officials as the suspect who was allegedly armed with a powerful AK-47-style assault rifle and aimed it through the bushes at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when the former president was playing a round of golf on Sunday.

The suspect was around 300 to 500 yards away from Trump at the time. West Palm Beach sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a press conference that, at around 1.30pm, Secret Service agents spotted the butt of the gun through the fence and fired shots toward the suspect. It is not clear whether the accused gunman fired any shots.

Mr Routh allegedly fled the scene, with a witness taking a photo and noting the licence plate of his black Nissan SUV, authorities said. Officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, based near to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, tracked down the vehicle on the I-95 and captured the suspect. He has been taken into custody and is being held at the local county jail.

The motive for the alleged attack remains unclear, but the FBI is treating it as an “attempted assassination”, the bureau said in a statement.

When he fled, Mr Routh allegedly left several items behind at the golf club fence: an AK-47 with a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tile inside, and a GoPro video camera, which he allegedly intended to use to film the incident, authorities said.

While details about what exactly happened and what may have motivated the suspect remain something of a mystery, information is emerging about Mr Routh.

Here’s what we know so far.

Ryan Wesley Routh’s criminal record