Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old man, has been identified as the main suspect in the investigation opened by the American authorities into “what appears to be an assassination attempt” against Donald Trump. A former Republican voter, he said in 2020 that he was “disappointed” with the billionaire.
Did Ryan Wesley Routh try to kill Donald Trump? This 58-year-old man was arrested this Sunday, September 15 on a highway in Florida, driving a black car. He has been identified as the main suspect in the investigation opened by the FBI on “what appears to be an assassination attempt” against the former American president, several media outlets, including CNN, the Washington Post and the New York Times, have indicated. The name of the person arrested has not, however, been confirmed and communicated by the American authorities.
According to initial reports, Ryan Wesley Routh approached Donald Trump’s golf club in Palm Beach. Spotted in a bush by the Secret Service, he allegedly left an AK-47 and a GoPro camera there before fleeing and being arrested and taken into custody.
“Recruiter” to fight in Ukraine
On his social networks, which do not seem to have been active for several weeks, Ryan Wesley Routh pleads for military support for Ukraine and even says he is ready to go and “fight” and “die” for kyiv. In an interview with Newsweek Romania in June 2022, he was presented as a “recruiter” for an international legion that fights alongside Volodymyr Zelensky’s army.
On his X account, which was made inaccessible on the night of Sunday to Monday, Ryan Wesley Routh also shared the link to the website of the “Taiwan Foreign Legion” of which he appears to be the head. He invites anyone who wants to fight for the island to join him.
Disappointed with Trump?
In a 2020 post on X, Ryan Wesley Routh noted that he voted for Donald Trump in 2016. “We were all very disappointed and it seems you are getting worse and worse. Are you retarded? I’ll be glad when you’re gone,” he wrote to the Republican.
His last tweet was published on July 17, 2024, the day after the assassination attempt on the former American president. “Kamala Harris, you and Biden should visit the people injured at Trump’s rally and attend the funeral of the murdered firefighter. Trump will never do anything for them…”, wrote Ryan Routh.
Already arrested several times in the 2000s
Ryan Wesley Routh had been living in Hawaii for the past few years. In 2012, he registered to vote in North Carolina. In this eastern US state where citizens can make their political affiliation public, Ryan Wesley Routh had decided not to choose between the words “Republican” or “Democrat.”
However, according to data from the US Federal Election Commissionthe 58-year-old made several small donations (between $1 and $25) to several Democratic Party candidates during the 2020 primaries.
According to public records, Routh had previous encounters with North Carolina police between 2001 and 2010, mostly for traffic violations and possession of stolen property. In 2002, he was also arrested for “possession of weapons of mass destruction,” a term that refers to an automatic machine gun, according to a local news article covering the case.
“He is a good father and a great man”
This Sunday, September 15, after fleeing in a black Nissan, he was arrested by the Florida police. We have someone in custody who is a potential suspect,” said Ric Bradshaw, sheriff of Palm Beach County, during a press conference.
But a Secret Service official, Rafael Barros, acknowledged to reporters that authorities were “not sure at this point that the individual could have fired on the agents.” A fortiori, there is no evidence that Ryan Wesley Routh, who was arrested, opened fire on the golf course where Donald Trump was playing. At this stage, his motives are also unknown.
Interviewed by CNN, his son Oran Routh described him as a “loving and caring father” and “an honest and hardworking man.” “I don’t know what happened in Florida, and I hope things were just blown out of proportion, because from what little I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem like the man I know has done anything crazy, let alone violent. He’s a good father and a great man,” he said.
