Prosecutors say suspect in Trump shooting attempt wrote a letter detailing his plans

Regarding the alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his Florida golf club earlier this month, the federal government has released additional information. One of Ryan Routh’s most heinous crimes occurred at his previous corporate headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. During a traffic stop, Routh’s automobile was found to have a machine gun by the police. The man then fled and used explosives to lock himself inside the building. Specialized police personnel succeeded in defusing the situation after several hours. Routh was found guilty of a felony involving the possession of a WMD.

During Monday’s court session, the prosecution displayed pictures of a purported letter written by Ryan Routh discussing his intentions for what he described as “an assassination attempt” on President Trump. A Secret Service member noticed a pistol barrel sticking out of the bushes when Trump was playing golf on September 15, so he fired multiple shots at the suspect. Witnesses captured a picture of Routh’s car as he was escaping. Routh was taken into custody by deputies shortly after he drove quickly north on Interstate-95.

Routh appeared in court for the detention hearing, handcuffed and dressed in navy prison attire. Routh was a flight risk and a possible community threat, according to the prosecution, and the judge agreed. Following a three-hour deliberation, Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe ruled that he be kept without bond. However, the government produced a ton of fresh evidence, one of which was a purported letter sent by Routh months prior. It was in a package with other items.

It was in a box with other items, including a metal pipe and ammunition. “This was an attempt to kill Donald Trump, but I failed you,” the letter addressed to “The World” stated. I gave it everything I had—my all and my best effort. The complaint states that the person who received the box months earlier only opened it after learning about what had happened in the news. The letter is multi-paged, but just the first page was admitted into evidence. The remainder of the letter, according to Routh’s public defender, made repeated allusions to an abortive assassination attempt. She questioned an FBI agent about this at the hearing.

Additionally, fresh evidence was presented by the prosecution linking Routh to the gun and the location of its discovery at the golf course. Routh’s fingerprint was discovered on both the gun and a plastic bag that was left behind at the site, according to FBI special agent Christian Hull. On September 23, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida, there is a hearing about Ryan Routh’s detention. Federal police officers and other law enforcement authorities are stationed outside the federal courtroom to monitor the proceedings.

At a hearing on Ryan Routh’s detention—he is suspected of trying to assassinate former US President Donald Trump—in West Virginia on Monday, federal police officers and other law enforcement agents maintain a watch outside the federal courthouse. Two additional eyewitnesses identified Routh. The first was the FBI agent who first observed Routh outside the fence near the tree line, and the other was the driver who witnessed him leaving the area.

The government also produced evidence from a notepad that Routh had written down the locations and times of scheduled campaign events by the former president Trump. According to the prosecution, Routh flew from North Carolina to West Palm Beach a month before to his arrest and spent time close to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago private estate and golf club. This information was gleaned from cell tower data on his phones.