Trump assassination attempt suspect was near golf course for 12 hours, phone records indicate
Phone records place the suspect in Sunday's apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump near the scene almost 12 hours ahead of the incident at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach in Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old suspect, left a digital footprint through phone records that tracked him at the golf course from 1:59 a.m. Sunday until about 1:31 p.m., according to federal prosecutors’ complaint filed in court Monday.
Routh camped out with a plastic bag containing food, a digital camera and a loaded AK-47 style rifle with scope, according to the FBI affidavit attached to the complaint. It said the serial number on the rifle “was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye.”
The agent who retrieved the weapon said it was likely brought from out of state at some point, as the style of rifle is not manufactured in Florida.
Authorities ultimately tracked Routh down on Interstate 95 at 2:14 p.m., more than 40 minutes after Secret Service fired shots at the suspect once they saw his rifle poking out of a fence near the golf course. The FBI affidavit said the Nissan he fled in had stolen license plates.
Routh was charged Monday morning with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Together the two charges could carry a 20-year maximum sentence and $500,000 fine.
The suspect had previously been convicted on multiple counts of possession of stolen goods in March of 2010 and possession of weapons of mass death and destruction in 2002.
Routh was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and reportedly attempted to join the international effort to defend the county, though Ukraine's foreign legion has said he never fought with its unit of foreign troops.
Routh said he voted for former President Trump in 2016 but had become disillusioned with the ex-president, who is seeking to return to the White House in 2024.
“While you were my choice in 2106 [2016], I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” Routh wrote in a post on social platform X in July 2020. “I will be glad when you gone.”
Federal agents are continuing their investigation into the case along with state and local law officials.
Date: | |
Tag: | Donald Trump |
-
NBC News - Top stories
Authorities say armed suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt hid along golf course for nearly 12 hours
New police body camera video shows the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Trump, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, as he was arrested Sunday in Florida. In court documents, ...2 days ago - Donald Trump -
NBC News - Politics
Suspected gunman camped out at golf course for 12 hours, didn't have Trump in line of sight
The man arrested in connection with an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump is a former supporter who turned against the former president in part for foreign policy reasons and later ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Trump recounts being on golf course during apparent assassination attempt
Former President Trump on Monday offered his first recollection of what he was doing when Secret Service engaged an alleged would-be-assassin along the perimeter of his Florida golf club a day ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
The New York Times - Top stories
Officer Recalls 2002 Standoff With Ryan Routh, Trump Golf Course Suspect
Ryan W. Routh, who was arrested following an apparent attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump, was convicted on an explosives charge after the standoff in North Carolina.Yesterday - Donald Trump -
The New York Times - Top stories
Suspect Never Took a Shot at Trump but Hid Undetected for 12 Hours
Ryan W. Routh was charged with two federal gun crimes a day after Secret Service agents fired on him as he pointed a rifle toward the golf course where former President Donald Trump was playing.2 days ago - Donald Trump -
CBS News - Top stories
Trump's golf partner recounts apparent assassination attempt
Steve Witkoff was with Donald Trump when Secret Service agents spotted the suspect in an apparent assassination attempt against the former president on Sunday. Witkoff joined CBS News to describe ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
CBS News - Top stories
Trump assassination attempt suspect didn't fire gun, Secret Service says
The suspect in what appears to be an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump made his first appearance in court Monday, one day after a Secret Service agent allegedly spotted ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
CBS News - Top stories
Suspect in Trump's apparent assassination attempt has criminal history
Alleged Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh had other brushes with the law prior to Sunday's incident. He also traveled across the globe, volunteering to fight in the war on behalf of ...2 days ago - Donald Trump -
CBS News - Top stories
Here's what to know about the suspect in the apparent Trump assassination attempt
Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, appeared in court Monday on two federal gun charges. Court documents show that Routh's ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
The New York Times - Top stories
Who Is Ryan Routh, the Suspect in an Apparent Trump Assassination Attempt?
Interviews, records and a self-aggrandizing book suggest that Ryan Routh, a peripatetic builder, saw himself as an influential participant in momentous world events.Yesterday - Donald Trump
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
RFK Jr. says he's helping Trump pick leaders of FDA, NIH, CDC
Former independent presidential candidate and antivaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that former President Trump wants him to choose leaders for key public health agencies if he wins the ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
EPA retaliated against three scientists, says watchdog
Presented by TerraPower — The Environmental Protection Agency’s internal watchdog has found that the agency retaliated against three staffers for expressing different scientific opinions. {beacon} ...1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
House GOP torpedoes Speaker Johnson’s funding bill
House Republicans voted down Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal to fund the government, leaving the path to averting a shutdown unclear and putting Johnson in danger of disappointing former President ...1 hour ago - House -
The Hill - Politics
Congress races to patch $3B Veterans Affairs shortfall
Lawmakers are moving quickly to pass emergency legislation to plug a roughly $3 billion shortfall facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as officials warn veterans' and survivors' benefits ...1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
EPA officials retaliated against 3 scientists, watchdog says
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) internal watchdog has found that top agency officials retaliated against three staffers for expressing different scientific opinions. The employees who ...1 hour ago