The North Carolina contractor accused of plotting to kill former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course Sunday arrived under the cover of darkness and hid in the brush along the edge for nearly 12 hours, according to court documents.
Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh arrived in the “vicinity” of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach just before 2 a.m., federal prosecutors revealed Monday.
A U.S. Secret Service agent allegedly saw him aiming the barrel of an SKS-style rifle through the fence around 1:30 p.m. and opened fire.
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Pictures of evidence found at the fence of former President Donald Trump’s golf course are shown at a press conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, 2024 following a second attempt on the president’s life. (Candan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Federal prosecutors allege phone pings show him arriving at the tree line at 1:59 a.m. and fleeing around the same time dispatchers received reports of shots fired.
Routh, the alleged failed assassin, is not accused of pulling the trigger, and no one was hurt in the encounter. According to a probable cause affidavit filed in federal court, a Secret Service agent on Trump’s security detail was walking the perimeter of the golf course when he “saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line.”
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Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh was seen being taken into custody Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in bodycam footage released Monday. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office )
The agent opened fire, and a witness saw a male suspect, later identified as Routh, fleeing into a Nissan SUV and speeding away.
Deputies from both the Palm Beach and Martin County sheriff’s offices stopped the suspect vehicle, a black Nissan SUV, on Interstate 95, according to court documents.
Routh was the only person inside, and when asked if he knew why he was being pulled over, he allegedly “responded in the affirmative.”
Deputies noted that the license plate on Routh’s Nissan was registered to a stolen Ford truck.
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Bodycam video provided by Martin County shows he cooperated with deputies who ordered him to get out of the vehicle and back up with his hands above his head.
At the golf course, police recovered a loaded SKS-style rifle, equipped with a scope and with the serial number removed. They also found two bags, one of which had food inside, and a digital video camera.
Routh, who claimed on social media to have been a Trump supporter in 2016 before changing his politics, was also an outspoken critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Court sketch depicting Routh in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Routh is facing charges of charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Routh is suspected of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (Lothar Speer)
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In a self-published book on the topic, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” Routh apparently wrote in a passage directed toward Iran, “You are free to assassinate Trump,” The Associated Press reported Monday.
Routh faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and up to five years for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. More charges could be likely as the investigation continues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.