Ryan Wesley Routh’s attachment to the Ukrainian cause in the country’s fight against Russian aggression shows that he knows enough about right and wrong to make it hard for him to mount an insanity defense in connection with the alleged failed assassination plot against the former Ukrainian president. President TrumpAccording to a Florida prosecutor.
State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who is not handling Routh’s case after federal prosecutors claimed jurisdiction, said that although the suspect was seen laughing and smiling with defense attorneys at his first court appearance Monday, his “frantic” behavior does not make him appear criminally insane.
“Ultimately he ran away, tried to escape and survive,” he said. “This shows that he knew the difference between right and wrong. What is ironic about this man is that he also understood that the Ukrainian people were the good guys fighting against them. the Russians – but to make his point, he was trying to commit an evil act by trying to kill somebody.”
Trump assassination attempt suspect smiles and laughs during first court appearance in Florida
Ryan W. Routh, suspected of trying to assassinate former President Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course, stands in handcuffs after his arrest near Palm City, Florida, on September 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via Reuters)
An unnamed U.S. Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle protruding from a fence Sunday afternoon, according to federal investigators, about 12 hours after Routh’s phone rang on the edge of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
He fled in a Nissan SUV and headed north on Interstate 95 toward his home North Carolina,
WATCH: Florida prosecutor pokes holes in potential defense of Trump assassination attempt suspect
Police were able to quickly obtain a description of the suspect and his vehicle with the help of an eyewitness, officials said.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in federal court, investigators at the scene recovered an SKS rifle, a digital video camera and two bags — one of which contained food.
Eyewitnesses see Trump assassination suspect running through bushes, photograph getaway car
“This is something where there’s a real anomaly in this person’s value system,” Aronberg said. “There’s something wrong with my mind somewhere, it’s just not enough to sustain an insanity defense under the law.”
WATCH: Failed Trump assassination suspect Ryan Routh captured on bodycam video
In a 2022 interview, Routh had something to say about the Ukrainian conflict Newsweek Romania,
“A lot of other conflicts are gray, but this conflict is definitely black and white,” he told the outlet. “It’s about good versus evil. It’s a story, you know, unlike any movie we’ve ever seen, it’s definitely good versus evil.,
Routh is facing federal firearms charges for possessing an SKS rifle despite multiple prior convictions and for allegedly defacing the weapon’s serial number.
FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri also said that in 2019, an informant reported that Routh may be a convicted felon illegally possessing a gun in Hawaii. The informant was questioned. However, he did not confirm the information. Routh was not questioned by the FBI, which forwarded the details to Honolulu authorities.
Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh is seen being taken into custody on Sunday, September 15, 2024, in bodycam footage released Monday. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
He is due to appear in court again later this month, and authorities say he could face additional charges.
Aronberg told Fox News Digital that these could include aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a rifle at a Secret Service agent and making threats against a former president.
a federal effort Murder case He said that this is rare.
“They may not have all the evidence yet,” he said. “They’re still investigating. But, this is more of a state-level allegation than a federal one.”
President Trump plays golf at Trump International Golf Club on December 28, 2020 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
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Trump is scheduled to hold his first rally since the second attempt on his life on Wednesday. He will speak to voters at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder vowed that attendees would be “in the safest place in the country.”
Former President Trump was injured during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ivan Vucci)
Trump survived another assassination attempt on July 13, when a 20-year-old gunman attacked him. Thomas Matthew Crookes He opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He fired a bullet over the former president’s ear, killing a father of two named Corey Comperatore, 50, and seriously wounding David Deutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Counter-snipers returned fire and killed him, but a security lapse left him on a rooftop in clear view of the former president, leading to multiple investigations and a reshuffle in the top ranks of the Secret Service.
