JOE RAEDLE / Getty Images via AFP
Law enforcement officers investigate near the Trump International Golf Club after an apparent assassination attempt on the former president on September 15, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
UNITED STATES – Hidden in a bush. Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect arrested after the alleged assassination attempt against Donald Trump near his golf course and his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, never opened fire in the direction of the former American president, investigators revealed on Monday, September 16.
On Sunday, around 1:30 p.m. local time, a Secret Service agent, tasked with protecting Trump, inspects the route in front of the Republican candidate. He spots “ The suspect armed with what he thought was a rifle and immediately opened fire”said acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on Monday. He continued: “The suspect, who did not have the former president in his field of vision, fled. He did not shoot.”
12 hours of waiting
According to the findings from his phone’s location, he spent nearly 12 hours near Donald Trump’s golf club – between 1:59 a.m. and 1:31 p.m. local time – on Sunday before being spotted.
Around the fence of the golf club were found an SKS-type assault rifle, with the serial number erased and fitted with a shooting scope, two bags and a camera, according to investigators.
A witness told authorities he saw a man escape from the bushes on the edge of the golf course and get into a black Nissan.
Charged with illegal possession of a weapon
The photo of the vehicle and its license plate allowed the vehicle to be found on a highway and the man to be arrested calmly 45 minutes later. The plate matches that of another vehicle, reported stolen, according to investigators.
The suspect is Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old pro-Ukrainian American, a self-employed construction worker in Hawaii (west). Brought before a judge in Florida on Monday, he was charged with illegal possession of a weapon, due to his criminal record, and possession of a weapon with an obliterated serial number. These charges carry maximum sentences of 15 years and five years in prison, respectively. However, he is expected to face further prosecution.
His next appearance, on his continued detention, has been set for September 23 and his formal indictment a week later.
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