What we know about the suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday in connection with an apparent assassination attempt against former President Trump.

He was charged Monday with two federal gun crimes: possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

On Sunday, Secret Service agents were posted a few holes ahead of the former president at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., when they noticed a man pushing a rifle’s muzzle through the course perimeter. They fired at the man, who fled the scene.

No shots were fired on Trump or the Secret Service agents. Authorities found two bags, a loaded rifle with a scope and other items at the scene.

Authorities later pulled over and apprehended Routh on I-95.

Federal court Judge Ryon McCabe scheduled Routh’s arraignment for Sept. 30.

Prosecutors in coming days will seek an indictment from a grand jury, which could include additional charges.

Here’s what we know about Routh.

Where is Routh from?

Records show Routh lived most of his life in North Carolina and then moved to Kaaawa, Hawaii in 2018.

The New York Times interviewed Routh last year and said he is originally from Greensboro, N.C.

Voter registration records showed Routh registered as an independent in 2012 in North Carolina and most recently voted in the state’s Democratic primary this year.

According to his LinkedIn page, he started a company called Camp Box Honolulu, which builds storage units and tiny homes.

Routh’s eldest son, Oran, told CNN that he was a “loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man.” He said he didn’t know what happened in Florida and it doesn’t sound like the man he knew.

A supporter of Ukraine

Routh was interviewed by The New York Times for a feature about pro-Ukrainian foreign fighters in 2023. He detailed traveling to Ukraine in 2022 to recruit ex-Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to fight for Ukraine.

Routh also protested in Kyiv after Russia’s invasion and published a 291-page book about his stance, CNN reported.

He offered the Ukrainian military “large numbers of recruits” but representative from Ukraine’s foreign legion confirmed he never participated in a military unit and they didn’t take his offers as “realistic.”

In the book, titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” Routh described Trump as a “fool” and “buffoon” for both the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and leaving the Iran nuclear deal. “You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote of Iran in the self-published book, The Associated Press reported.

The AP noted that Routh’s political stances don’t seem to align with one party or another.

In June 2020, he wrote to Trump, saying he would win reelection if he issued an executive order allowing the Department of Justice to prosecute police misconduct. He also posted in support of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat who has since left the party and endorsed Trump.

Since those earlier posts, Routh appeared to have become more critical of Trump and supported President Biden and Vice President Harris, the AP reported.

History of legal issues

According to court documents in North Carolina and Hawaii reviewed by The Hill, Routh had a long history of run-ins with the law.

Documents show Routh regularly encountered law enforcement for decades. He had dozens of criminal charges that were for traffic violations, including a hit and run and expired vehicle registration, as well as cutting bad checks, resisting a public officer, ID fraud and carrying a concealed gun.

Routh also had a history of violent convictions. In 2002, Routh was convicted in North Carolina of possessing a weapon of mass destruction. Local reports show Routh barricaded himself inside his roofing business with a machine gun after being pulled over at a traffic stop.

Federal prosecutors are latching on to Routh’s violent record in seeking a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence if he is convicted.

In 2008, the Internal Revenue Service placed a lien as it sought to collect almost $32,000 from Routh for his roofing business.

Routh has never spent time in jail, North Carolina corrections records show.

In 2020, after Routh had moved to Hawaii, Rought was charged with driving without a valid license and having no car insurance. The charges were later dropped and he paid nearly $300 for the infraction.

Authorities in Hawaii accused him of being delinquent on his vehicle tax and missing a safety check in Jan. 2022. Charges were brought a second time a year later and he was found guilty.

Routh also found himself credited by law enforcement at one point when he was still in North Carolina. In 1991, he helped track down a suspected rapist in the state and was given an award by a local chapter of a national police union.