Former US President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an alleged assassination attempt in Florida on Sunday, according to the FBI. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after Secret Service agents opened fire near the boundary of Trump’s golf course. A high-powered AK-47-style rifle with a scope and a GoPro camera were recovered at the scene.
When Secret Service agents opened fire, Routh reportedly came out of the bushes he was hiding in and fled in a black car. Authorities were able to locate the car after witnesses helped police identify it.
“We have one person in custody at this time who is a possible suspect,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said at a news conference, according to news agency AFP.
Who is Ryan Wesley Routh?
According to the New York Times, Routh is a former construction worker from Greensboro, North Carolina. Routh had no formal military background, but he has expressed a strong desire to participate in armed conflict in the past, particularly in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In a post on a Twitter account known as X, Routh expressed his desire to “fight and die” in Ukraine. He also advocated for citizens to change the course of global conflicts.
“I am ready to go to Krakow and go to the Ukrainian border to volunteer, fight and die,” he wrote.
“Citizens must change this war and prevent future wars,” Routh wrote in his profile bio on the messaging app Signal, according to the New York Times.
His bio on WhatsApp reads, “Each of us must take small steps every day to support human rights, freedom and democracy; we must all help the Chinese.”
Routh’s activities were not limited to online announcements. In a 2023 interview with the New York Times, he claimed to have traveled to Ukraine to support the war effort and recruit Afghan soldiers.
This wasn’t Routh’s first brush with violence. In 2002, he was arrested after barricading himself inside a building in Greensboro with a fully automatic weapon. The charges were serious, though the outcome of the case is still unclear.
Donald Trump “Safe”
“President Trump is safe following the shooting around him,” his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
According to news agency AFP, Trump himself said in a fundraising message on a website: “Don’t be afraid! I’m safe and sound, and no one is hurt. Thank God!”
This recent firing incident has come at a time when just a few weeks ago, another deadly attack was made on Trump while he was addressing a rally in Pennsylvania. The would-be assassin fired a bullet from his sniper from a distance, which just touched the ear of the former US President. The suspect was shot dead by the authorities.