A man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former U.S. president Donald Trump was charged Monday with federal gun crimes.
Ryan Wesley Routh faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment.
During an eight-minute hearing, prosecutors levied two charges against him: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Officials said Routh could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first charge, and a possible five-year sentence on the second charge. A bond hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23, and a probable cause hearing or arraignment has been set for Sept. 30, depending on whether the government secures an indictment on the charges.
Shackled and wearing a blue jumpsuit, Routh smiled as he spoke with his lawyer and reviewed documents ahead of his initial appearance.
Motive unclear
The episode occurred Sunday afternoon at Trump International Golf Club when Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 360 metres away.
An agent fired and Routh dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, the authorities said.
Routh was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighbouring county.
Sheriff William Snyder, of Martin County, Fla., describes how his team stopped the suspect after an apparent assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump at a golf club.
During the hearing, Routh gave routine information to court officials as to his work status and income. Speaking in a soft voice, he said that he was working and making a little more than $4,000 Cdn a month, but has zero savings.
Routh said that he has no real estate or assets, aside from two trucks worth about $1,300, both located in Hawaii. Routh, who in the past had reported ties to North Carolina, also said that he has a 25-year-old son, whom he sometimes supports.
Routh’s motives are unclear, as are his travels to the golf club and how he was able to avoid detection.
Evelyn Aschenbrenner, a civilian member of the International Legion of Ukraine first encountered Routh while they were helping co-ordinate the recruitment of foreign soldiers to help the Ukrainian military after Russia’s invasion in 2022. At first, they said the interaction was par for the course — he came across as a man who was eager to contribute to the war effort.
Over the next several encounters, though, Aschenbrenner said, the tone shifted. They said Routh created an unauthorized recruitment website and shared their phone number with potential soldiers around the world, becoming hostile when they explained the limitations on getting personnel into Ukraine.
“It went from, I thought he might be trying to help a little to this very unhinged…” they recalled, trailing off in an interview with CBC News on Monday.
“He wouldn’t listen. He would argue. He would insist he was the only one who cared about Ukraine… it was like talking to a wall.”
Evelyn Aschenbrenner said Ryan W. Routh initially seemed like someone who wanted to help with the war effort in Ukraine in 2022, but evolved into someone who became increasingly unhinged.
Eventually, Aschenbrenner posted online warnings to other members of the Ukrainian military community cautioning that Routh might be misrepresenting himself as a recruiter.
Aschenbrenner, an American citizen, found out Routh was a suspect in the apparent assassination on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I was in shock, I was confused, but not completely surprised. Ryan — again, I’m not a psychologist, I’m not going to try and diagnose him — but something has been up with him,” they said.
Routh has never served in the Ukrainian army nor collaborated with the military in any capacity, according to Oleksandr Shahuri, a representative officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Command.
Over the past two-and-a-half years, Routh has periodically contacted the international legion with what Shahuri described as “nonsensical ideas.”
“His plans and ideas can best be described as delusional.”
Shahuri, speaking to The Associated Press, firmly denied any connection to Routh. The legion was created shortly after the outbreak of the war by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It consists of foreign citizens “wishing to join the resistance against the Russian occupants and fight for global security,” according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.
The FBI said Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday. This comes just nine weeks after the former U.S. president survived a previous attempt on his life.
House demanding more protection for Trump
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will be demanding more Secret Service protection for Trump, saying he needs more attention than any other protectee.
In the Senate, Florida Republican Rick Scott said he would propose legislation that would increase security for Trump, and possibly other former presidents.
President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters on Monday, said he did not yet have a full report of the Sunday incident at Trump’s Florida golf course and that he was thankful the former president was OK. But Biden said he believed the Secret Service needs more help.
Front Burner26:08America’s history of assassinations and political violence
Trump was shot at a Pennsylvania rally in July, suffering an ear injury as a firefighter who attended the event was killed by gunfire. The gunman, Thomas Crooks, was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.
The two incidents just weeks apart targeting Trump, who is the Republican nominee for president a third consecutive time, evoked a period in September 1975, when guns were pointed at president Gerald Ford by two women in incidents just 17 days apart. Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme and Sara Jean Moore served lengthy prison sentences as a result, and were paroled in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
While the Secret Service and federal officials don’t always publicize foiled plots involving presidents, so as not to encourage copycat incidents, the last major assassination attempt before July involving a president occurred when Ronald Reagan survived a shooting in 1981, just weeks into his first term.