New photos have surfaced showing the backpack, GoPro camera, and AK-47-style rifle abandoned by the gunman as he fled the scene where he was targeting Donald Trump. Law enforcement held a press conference in West Palm Beach on Sunday after the FBI announced it is investigating into a second assassination attempt against Trump in the past two months.
On Sunday, the former president was quickly moved to safety after several shots were fired near him while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach. Gunman Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after a brief chase, following the separate assassination attempt against Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Plan to Kill Trump
Authorities revealed that a U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agent saw a rifle barrel sticking out of a chain-link fence from behind some bushes, just two holes ahead of Trump's location on the golf course. This led the agent to open fire on the suspect.
The suspect, Routh, fled into his vehicle from the brush, but a witness managed to capture a photo of his black Nissan SUV and its license plate.
Routh, a construction worker with a criminal background, also allegedly left behind ceramic body armor plates designed to protect against gunfire.
Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the witness provided the license plate number and later confirmed to law enforcement that the individual in custody was indeed the person seen escaping the scene.
Routh has a criminal record in North Carolina, including charges from 2002 for 'weapon law violations' and 'terrorist threats,' as noted in public records widely circulated on social media.
A nearly two-minute video from 2022 surfaced on Sunday following Routh's identification as a suspect. In the clip, he is interviewed by News Week Romania about his efforts to recruit fighters for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
"This is definitely evil against good," Routh said in the video where he was wearing an American Flag patterned t-shirt.
Registered Democrat Who Hated Trump
Routh has donated to Democratic candidates and liberal causes since 2019. From September 2019 to March 2020, he contributed over $140 through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records.
His LinkedIn profile indicates that he attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and moved to Hawaii around 2018.
On LinkedIn, Routh is described as "mechanically inclined" with a passion for "ideas, invention, and creative projects with an artistic touch."
Secret Service agents spotted Routh near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach carrying a Soviet-style SKS assault rifle. The agents fired at him, but he managed to escape. Routh was subsequently arrested by local police on I-95.
His social media account featured a mix of incoherent tweets and responses, while also showing staunch support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and for Taiwan in its fight against China.
In one reply to X's owner, Elon Musk, he even suggested the idea of buying a rocket from the billionaire.
"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. It can be old and used as not returning," Routh wrote.
He wrote on X that he tried to "sell" the idea of having former Afghan soldiers join the fight for Ukraine against Russia but was turned down multiple times before abandoning the idea after six months.
He also said that he visited Kyiv and expressed his willingness to join the frontlines if given the opportunity.
