Ryan Routh has been charged with firearm offenses in the Trump assassination attempt

A man accused of endeavoring to assassinate Donald Trump was formally accused of two firearm-related offenses in a federal court on Monday. This occurred one day after he was observed concealing a rifle in the bushes at the golf course of the former U.S. president in Florida.

Although further charges seem probable, the initial allegations of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number will serve as grounds for authorities to detain him throughout the ongoing investigation.

The Republican nominee in the November 5th election remained unhurt. However, this event prompted new inquiries on the means by which an armed individual managed to approach him, a mere two months after another assailant shot at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, resulting in a bullet striking his ear.

According to a criminal complaint, phone records indicate that the suspect may have been in a state of waiting for almost 12 hours on Sunday.

Once an agent observed a rifle barrel emerging from the bushes on Sunday at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, a few hundred yards distant from where the former president was playing, the U.S. Secret Service initiated gunfire.

According to the lawsuit, the person responsible for the shooting escaped in a sports utility vehicle. Law enforcement officers discovered a fully armed assault-style rifle accompanied by a scope, a digital camera, and a plastic bag with pre-packaged food.

A suspect, whose identity was confirmed on Monday as Ryan Routh, aged 58, was apprehended around 40 minutes later while speeding north on Interstate 95. According to the lawsuit, Routh “correctly responded in the affirmative” when questioned about his knowledge of the reason for his stop. The licensed plate on his vehicle had been documented as having been stolen from another vehicle.

An iPhone linked to Routh was discovered at the golf course at 1:59 a.m. (0559 GMT) on Sunday morning, according to records.

According to the criminal complaint, Routh has two previous convictions, both in North Carolina: a conviction in 2002 for handling a weapon of mass death and destruction, and a conviction in 2010 for handling stolen goods. Additional information regarding such cases was not readily accessible.

Trump attributed responsibility for the assassination attempt on President Joe Biden and Vice President and Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris. The speaker referenced the “rhetoric” of the Democrats and asserted that the alleged gunman was motivated by their “highly inflammatory language,” although officials have not yet provided any substantiating proof of any motive.

“Their rhetoric is resulting in my being targeted for gunfire, despite my role as the one responsible for rescuing the nation, while they are the ones responsible for actively undermining the country – both internally and externally,” he stated, as reported by Fox.

Coerced Secret Service

Since the previous life-threatening attempt on Trump, the Secret Service, responsible for safeguarding U.S. presidents, presidential candidates, and other high-ranking officials, has been subjected to rigorous examination.

Concurrently, Director Kimberly Cheatle tendered her resignation. The agency enhanced Trump’s security team in response to the July 13 assault, during which the assailant was fatally shot by the arriving police.

In his statement to reporters on Monday, Biden expressed gratitude for the president’s approval, acknowledging that the agency requires additional support, maybe including a larger staff.

Harris stated on X: “Violence is incompatible with the principles of America.”

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who formed a bipartisan task force to initiate an investigation following the initial murder attempt, stated in a Fox News interview that Congress will likewise scrutinize the most recent occurrence.

“Accountability is essential,” stated Johnson, who also advocated for increased resources to safeguard Trump. “We must insist that this task is being efficiently executed.”

Several news sources have reported that Cheatle’s successor, Acting Director Ronald Rowe, travelled to Florida following the murder attempt on Sunday. Rowe, who assumed leadership following Cheatle’s retirement in July, expressed his disproval of security failures in the previous attack to Congress on July 30.

Based on an official biography, Rowe has been a member of the 7,800-strong Secret Service for 25 years. He ascended to the agency’s second-ranking position before being upgraded in July.

The suspect is a Ukrainian sympathizer.

Following Russia’s invasion in 2022, Routh, a fervent advocate of Ukraine, journeyed to the country with the intention of enlisting foreign combatants.

The profiles on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn associated with Routh included both expressions of solidarity towards Ukraine and assertions characterizing Trump as a menace to the democratic principles of the United States.

Dear Potus, An appropriate name for your campaign would be KADAF. Safeguard the democratic and free nature of America. Trumps should be renamed MASA to revert Americans from slavery to mastery. An X post, tagging Biden, stated that “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”

The accounts’ ownership by the suspect could not be definitively confirmed by Reuters, and law enforcement agencies declined to provide clarification. Hours following the event on Sunday, public access to the Facebook and X profiles was revoked.

Harris and other Democrats have portrayed Trump as a threat to U.S. democracy, invoking his attempt to reverse his loss in the 2020 election, which resulted in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. If elected, Harris has pledged steadfast support for Ukraine.

Donald Trump has voiced doubt over the level of assistance that the United States has given to Ukraine and has made a solemn promise to promptly terminate the conflict if he is elected. In a previous interview with Reuters, he suggested that Ukraine may need to relinquish certain areas in order to achieve peace.

X’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, tweeted and subsequently removed a message on the social media platform on Sunday, inquiring as to why no one had attempted to assassinate Biden or Harris. Elon Musk, who has expressed support for Trump, clarified in a subsequent post on Monday that he had been facetious.