Former President Donald Trump is safe following an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf course on Sunday afternoon, and a 'potential suspect' is in custody, US authorities have confirmed.

Secret Service agents spotted the barrel of a rifle poking through some bushes and opened fire at him, officials said. The FBI said Trump was 275 to 455 meter away at the time, reports BBC.

A witness reported seeing the suspect, who has been named by US media as Ryan Routh, emerging from some bushes and jumping into a black Nissan car after the agents had fired at him a number of times.

An AK47-style firearm and scope, along with two backpacks and a GoPro camera, were later found at the scene. The witness took a picture of the vehicle and number plate and it was stopped later in Martin County, north of the club.

"We got a hold of Martin County Sheriff's Office, alerted them, and they spotted the vehicle and pulled it over and detained the guy," said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County.

"After that, we took the witness that witnessed the incident, flew him up there and he identified as the person that he saw running out of the bushes that jumped into the car" the sheriff told a news briefing.

It is unclear whether or not the gunman fired at either the former president or the agents. “We are not sure right now if the individual was able to take a shot at our agents, but for sure our agents were able to engage with the suspect," said Rafael Barros from the Secret Service Miami Field Office.

The incident comes almost exactly two months after a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, striking his ear. The Secret Service confirmed in a post on X that they were investigating a ‘protective incident’ involving Trump that took place shortly before 19:00 BST on Sunday.