Ryan Routh: What we know about suspect in Trump assassination attempt

On September 16 – Authorities reported that a gunman attempted to assassinate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday at his golf course in Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect was identified by CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, though Reuters could not independently verify his identity, and the FBI declined to comment.

The Secret Service, which was accompanying Trump on the golf course, revealed that one of its agents noticed a gun barrel protruding from bushes near the property line while securing holes ahead of the former president. Multiple agents engaged the suspect, firing at least four rounds in his direction. The gunman dropped an AK-47 style rifle, along with two backpacks, a GoPro camera, and other items, before fleeing the scene in a black Nissan.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw stated that a witness managed to capture a photograph of the suspect’s vehicle and license plate, which was quickly relayed to law enforcement. Shortly afterward, deputies in neighboring Martin County stopped the vehicle on Interstate 95, where the suspect was taken into custody without further incident.

Following the arrest, Reuters found social media profiles on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn associated with a Ryan Routh. Public access to the Facebook and X accounts was restricted just hours after the assassination attempt. The accounts revealed that Routh was a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

On April 21, Routh made headlines with a provocative post on X, directed at tech billionaire Elon Musk. In the post, Routh asked Musk, “I would like to buy a rocket from you. I wish to load it with a warhead for Putin’s Black Sea mansion bunker to end him. Can you give me a price please?” This message, along with his other posts, provided insight into his apparent frustrations with global political figures and movements.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the motive behind the attempted assassination, and more details are expected to emerge in the coming days as they piece together Routh’s background and any connections he may have had to extremist groups. The incident has raised concerns over the security of political figures during a tense election cycle.