The suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh, may have been lying in wait for nearly 12 hours along the tree line at Trump’s golf club, authorities said in a criminal complaint on Monday.
Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number during an initial appearance in federal court Monday morning.
The investigation into Sunday’s apparent attempt on Trump’s life is continuing, and additional charges could be brought, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
The initial gun-related charges were filed as prosecutors seek to keep Routh detained while authorities continue to investigate the incident.
A detention hearing has been set for September 23, and the arraignment is set for September 30. Routh will be held in jail while he awaits trial.
The incident happened about 1:30 p.m. Sunday after a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of a rifle poking from the fence between the 5th and 6th hole of Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, Florida, in a tree line near a heavily traveled road.
Cell-phone data indicates Routh may have spent nearly 12 hours on Sunday near the area where he was spotted in the bushes along the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club, according to charging documents unsealed on Monday.
An FBI agent said in an affidavit filed in court that during their initial investigation, authorities got phone records from T-Mobile that indicated Routh’s phone was “in the vicinity of the area” where he was first spotted by US Secret Service from around 1:59 a.m. Sunday until 1:31 p.m., when a Secret Service agent saw his rifle poking out from a tree line.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the agent fired at the gunman, who officials said was within 500 yards of Trump. Bradshaw said no shots were fired by the gunman, who later fled in a car. The Secret Service later said Routh had no line of sight on the former president.
Along the fence line, authorities found a sniper’s nest which included a scoped rifle, a GoPro camera and backpacks with ceramic plates.
“This whole set-up indicates a very high level of pre-planning,” former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe told CNN.
Routh was driving his daughter’s car when he was later detained, according to a law enforcement source. A picture released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office after he was detained showed him wearing a long-sleeved, salmon-coloured shirt with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Routh remained silent while being detained, local state attorney David Aronberg told CNN. Trump’s golf outing was not on his public schedule and it’s not yet clear how Routh allegedly knew where Trump would be at that moment.
Aronberg said Routh will face federal, not state charges. He told MSNBC that Florida initially considered pursuing state charges, but stood down when federal agents took over the case.
On social media, Routh was a staunch supporter of Ukraine who said he supported Trump in 2016 but later became disillusioned with the former president. He’s been frequently critical of Trump recently.
Routh, according to CNN, travelled to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion two years ago, attending a rally in Kyiv on May 1, 2022. Representatives for Ukraine’s foreign legion said Routh contacted them several times but distanced themselves from Routh.
Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Land Forces Command, told CNN over the phone that “the best way to describe his messages is – delusional ideas.”
Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri said Monday that Routh had a very active online presence and that authorities were still going through his social media.
“In addition, we’re going through media reports and public statements he made that he wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers and others to fight for Ukraine,” said Veltri, of the Miami field office. “The FBI has sent multiple requests to companies for returns on the subject’s phone and social media accounts.”
The FBI is working with its partners to pursue search warrants for Routh’s vehicle, cell phone and other devices, Veltri added.
Routh’s son Oran Routh called him a “good father, and a great man” in a statement.
Emmanuel Addeh
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