The 58-year-old man suspected of trying to kill Donald Trump on Sunday was charged Monday with illegal possession of a weapon.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the man suspected of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on Sunday in Palm Beach, Florida, has been officially indicted by the American justice system, CNN reported on Monday.
The man faces two counts of firearms-related charges, a move that will allow investigators to keep him in custody while other charges are brought against him.
Authorities said Secret Service agents spotted the barrel of a rifle protruding from bushes about 1,200 feet to 1,500 feet from where Trump was on the green as they conducted rounds before the former president continued his round.
It was after spotting him that these agents opened fire on the man hidden in these bushes. It was then around 1:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m., French time). The suspect, himself, “did not shoot,” announced the Secret Service on Monday.
An AK-47
An AK-47 assault rifle and other equipment, including video recording equipment, according to US media, were left at the scene by the suspect after he attempted to flee. A witness who saw the assailant was able to take photos of the vehicle and license plate before he fled, Bradshaw said.
After the suspect fled, police sent out an alert to all law enforcement agencies in the state of Florida. The information provided led to the suspect’s arrest in Martin County, about 40 miles from Donald Trump’s golf resort.
According to the American agency Associated Press, citing court documents filed Monday, Ryan Wesley Routh would have remained for nearly twelve hours outside the golf course where the events occurred. The sequence of events more or less established, the profile of the accused began to emerge quickly in the American media.
From Hawaii, a fervent defender of Ukraine
Thus, according to national television networks CNN and CBS, Ryan Wesley Routh would be an independent home builder in Hawaii, with a long criminal record. The accused regularly published articles online on politics, as well as many comments on current events, sometimes being critical of Donald Trump. A Donald Trump that he would have initially supported in 2016.
Disappointed, he then turned to other Republican figures, before being recognized as a Democratic voter last March, since he participated in the Democratic primary vote. This man would also apparently be very mobilized in favor of the Ukrainian cause since the Russian invasion, going so far as to go to Ukraine.
Agence France-Presse finally recalled having interviewed him at the end of April 2022, when he was participating in a demonstration in support of Ukrainians trapped in the port city of Mariupol.
A tense campaign
Separately, public access to Routh’s Facebook and X accounts was blocked hours after his arrest. The alleged assassination attempt comes just two months after Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and suffered minor injuries to his right ear.
The two incidents highlight the difficulties of maintaining security around candidates in the November 5 presidential election, at a time when the campaign is tense and the country deeply divided.
The Secret Service, the agency responsible for the security of major political figures in the United States, “needs more help”, Joe Biden responded, notably mentioning the possibility of increasing its numbers.Thank God the president is fine.”
Sheriff defends Secret Service
Asked at a press briefing, the Palm Beach County sheriff acknowledged that the entire golf course was not completely cordoned off Sunday because Donald Trump is not a serving president.
“If it were, we would have surrounded the entire golf course. Since it is not, the security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service considers possible.”added Ric Bradshaw.
“The Secret Service did exactly what it had to do”the sheriff said shortly after the incident.
