Suspect in alleged assassination attempt on Trump charged with federal gun crimes

The suspect in what law enforcement says was an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was charged in federal court Monday.

Authorities believe Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, pointed a high-caliber rifle through a fence near where Trump was golfing at his Florida club on Sunday. It’s unclear whether he fired a shot.

Routh entered court Monday in dark jail attire with his hands and feet cuffed, according to Scripps News West Palm Beach. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. If convicted, Routh faces up to 15 years in prison on the first count and five years on the second.

Routh was arrested Sunday after a witness told authorities he saw him flee the scene in a Nissan SUV. Martin County Sheriff’s Office officers stopped Routh on I-95, according to a criminal complaint.

“He was driving with traffic,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said. “I think he thought maybe he got away with it.”

Suspect arrested in alleged Trump assassination attempt

The criminal complaint states that Routh was asked if he knew why he was being arrested, to which “he responded in the affirmative.”

Investigators are still trying to determine the timeline of events and how Routh came to be within a few hundred yards of the former president. The criminal complaint says cellphone records show his phone was in the area 12 hours before a Secret Service agent spotted the gun in the bushes.

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What you need to know about the suspect

Routh has been an outspoken critic of Trump and supporter of Ukraine. He reportedly volunteered to fight alongside Ukraine in its war against Russia. He also calls the former president an “idiot, a buffoon, and a lunatic” in his self-published book.

Routh has a criminal history involving firearms. In 2002, the Greensboro News & Record reported that Routh barricaded himself inside a roofing business in North Carolina during a three-hour standoff with police. Routh was charged with several counts in the incident, including possession of a weapon of mass destruction, which was a fully automatic machine gun.

Routh appears to have lived in North Carolina before moving to Hawaii, where he owned a construction company.

Officials Speak Out

In addition to federal investigations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is launching its own investigation into the incident.

“People deserve the truth about the alleged assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP candidate,” he said.

At the same time, President Joe Biden has called on Congress to provide more support to the Secret Service.

“I think Congress should respond to their needs,” President Biden said, adding that the Secret Service can determine whether that means more personnel.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris previously said they were grateful that Trump was safe.

“I am deeply troubled by the possible assassination attempt on former President Trump today,” Harris said in a statement released Sunday. “As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We must all do our part to ensure this incident does not lead to further violence.”

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