UK premier 'deeply troubled' by 2nd attempt on Trump's life

'It is really important that we’re all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process,' says Keir Starmer

2024-09-16 13:39:32

LONDON

The British prime minister on Monday said he was "deeply troubled" by an assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump Sunday in Florida.

Speaking to reporters in the Italian capital Rome, Keir Starmer said that he was "very worried" about the reports of apparent assassination attempt, saying "looks like an assassination attempt."

"...It is really important that we're all very, very clear that violence has no part to play at all in any political process," he noted as reported by Sky News.

Starmer added: "So, deeply troubled. Let the investigation take its place. But absolute clarity: violence, no place in political discussion at all, anywhere."

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he is glad that "President Trump is safe," and condemned the incident "in the strongest possible terms."

"There is absolutely no place for political violence, and the U.K. condemns it in the strongest possible terms," he wrote on X.

Trump was the target of what the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said "appears to be an attempted assassination" at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Law enforcement officials in Florida told reporters that they apprehended a suspect who was spotted by US Secret Service agents with an AK-47-style assault rifle outside Trump's golf club.

The suspect was identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, The New York Times and Fox News reported, citing unnamed law enforcement officials.

On July 13, Trump was wounded during an attempted assassination while speaking at an open-air campaign rally in Pennsylvania.