Trump assassination attempt: Suspect appears in Florida court charged with gun crimes

A man has appeared in court charged with federal gun crimes after former US president Donald Trump was the target of what the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh briefly entered a Florida courtroom on Monday morning for his initial appearance, wearing a dark blue jumpsuit and with his arms and legs shackled.
He faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment. Mr Routh smiled as he spoke to his lawyer and reviewed documents.
He sat quietly for about five minutes with no visible signs of nervousness before marshals led him back out to await his hearing.
The incident came just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee, who has said he is safe and well, survived another attempt on his life.
US Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Mr Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 365m away.
An agent fired and the gunman 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, Palm Beach County sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
[ Ryan Wesley Routh: What do we know about suspected Trump gunman?Opens in new window ]
He was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighbouring county.
Records show Mr Routh (58) lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Hawaii in 2018.
In 2020, he made a social media post backing Mr Trump’s re-election, but in more recent years his posts have expressed support for US president Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris.
Routh tried to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight in Ukraine, and spent several months in the country, according to an interview with The New York Times last year.
Ukrainian officials said on Monday that they had nothing to do with Mr Routh, and accused Moscow of seizing on the link for propaganda purposes. The Kremlin, for its part, implied there was a link between the assassination attempt and US support for Kyiv, saying “playing with fire has its consequences”.
The FBI is leading the investigation and working to determine any motive.
US attorney general Merrick Garland is receiving regular updates. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate.
It was the latest jarring moment in a campaign year marked by unprecedented upheaval.
On July 13th, Mr Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.
Eight days later, Mr Biden withdrew from the race, giving way for Ms Harris to become the party’s nominee.
It spawned new questions about Secret Service protective operations after the agency’s admitted failures in preventing the assassination attempt this summer.
Mr Biden on Monday said that the Secret Service needs more help. Mr Biden, speaking to reporters, said he did not yet have a full report of the Sunday incident at Mr Trump’s Florida golf course and that he was thankful the former president was okay.
The man who was detained had a calm, flat demeanour and showed little emotion when he was stopped, according to Martin County sheriff William Snyder.
“He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Mr Snyder said.
In an email to supporters, Mr Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”
He wrote: “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
Mr Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach where he lives, according to a person familiar with Mr Trump’s movements.
It was not immediately clear how the development would affect his schedule or campaign dynamics.
Mr Trump was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on Monday night on the social media site X and had stops planned on Tuesday and Wednesday in Michigan and on New York’s Long Island.
An email to Trump campaign staff obtained by the AP said: “We ask that you remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings.”
“As we enter the last 50 days of President Trump’s campaign, we must remember that we will only be able save America from those who seek to destroy it by working together as one team.”
Mr Biden and Ms Harris were briefed on the matter and each issued a statement condemning political violence.
Ms Harris added that she was “deeply disturbed” by the day’s events and that “we all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence”.
Mr Biden said he had directed his team to ensure the Secret Service “has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president’s continued safety”.
In the aftermath, Mr Trump checked in with allies, including running mate JD Vance, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham and several Fox News hosts.
US House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson said he spent several hours with Mr Trump and called him “unstoppable”.
Fox News host Sean Hannity recounted on air his conversation with the former president’s golf partner, Steve Witkoff.
They had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop”.
Within seconds, he said Mr Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents “pounced” on Mr Trump and “covered him” to protect him.
Mr Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a US west coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.
His campaign had not announced any public plans for Mr Trump on Sunday.
He often spends the morning playing golf. Mr Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July.
When he is at Trump Tower in New York, parked dump trucks have formed a wall outside the building.
At outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind bulletproof glass.
The Florida golf course was partially shut down for Mr Trump as he played, but there are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line.
Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on All-terrain vehicles generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Mr Trump.
Agents also usually bring an armoured vehicle on to the course to shelter Mr Trump quickly should a threat arise.
The Palm Beach County sheriff said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Mr Trump were the president, but because he is not “security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible”.
“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter,” Mr Bradshaw said.
“But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done.”
Late on Sunday, Mr Trump posted a message on social media thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for keeping him safe, calling them “brave and dedicated Patriots”, adding that it was “certainly an interesting day!”
He was to be briefed in person on Monday by acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe about the investigation into the assassination attempt, according to a person familiar with the plan for the briefing.
Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security around former presidents varies according to threat levels and exposure, with the toughest measures typically being taken in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.
Mr Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some other former presidents because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said the state would do its own investigation, posting on X: “The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”
News reporters were not with Mr Trump on Sunday.
Bucking tradition, Mr Trump’s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the president.
Ms Harris does not have a protective pool at all times, but does allow reporters to travel with her for public events.
Mr Snyder said the suspect was apprehended within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office putting out a “very urgent BOLO” – or “be on the lookout” alert.
The Martin County sheriff said his deputies “immediately flooded” northbound I-95 and “we pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody”. – AP/Reuters