The alleged gunman has been arrested. Trump International Golf Club A church in West Palm Beach, Florida, houses a lengthy documented pro-Ukraine advocacy group, according to multiple news reports on Monday.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday after he pushed the barrel of an assault rifle through a chain-link fence near former President Donald Trump’s golf course, where the former president was playing the fifth hole. However, this is not the first time Routh has been identified.
Routh is a pro-Ukraine activist who has spent time volunteering in the eastern European country to drum up more support for the country’s military efforts and has even enlisted the help of Afghan veterans who fled the Taliban to fight in the war, a New York Times report said.
Law enforcement sources name Ryan Wesley Routh as suspect in Trump shooting
Ryan Routh is accused of pointing a rifle at former President Donald Trump while he was playing golf at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday. It is being investigated as a second assassination attempt on Trump. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
He was also interviewed By semaphore in March 2023 and expressed frustration at the Ukrainian government for too much red tape in accepting foreign troops to fight in the war.
“Ukraine is often difficult to work with. Many foreign soldiers leave after being in Ukraine for a week or have to move from one unit to another so they gain respect and appreciation,” Routh told Semaphore, adding that he was “yelled at” for suggesting Afghan veterans.
“They fear that anyone and everyone a russian spy,” He said.
Routh also spoke to the Romania edition of Newsweek in 2022, again talking about his recruitment efforts for the International Legion Defense of Ukraine, a ground unit for the country’s military.
Donald Trump is safe after shooting outside Palm Beach golf club
Ryan Routh, a suspect in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, is seen being taken into custody on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in bodycam footage released Monday. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
“As far as the question of why I’m here … to me, a lot of other struggles are gray, but this struggle is definitely black and white,” Routh said. told Newsweek. “It’s about good versus evil. It’s a story, you know, every movie we’ve seen so far is definitely a story of good versus evil.,
Routh also claimed to have fought in the war and bragged about his participation on his social media accounts. Pro-Ukraine advocacy This appears to be why he wrote a 291-page book, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which is still available on Amazon.
“I feel I should be clear that on the current path Ukraine is not going to win, but it is imperative to the world that they win, and that is why this book is so important, we must all recognize that losing is not an option and we must do what it takes to win,” Routh wrote in the description. “I obviously haven’t written this to make any money, because that is completely unimportant; the vitally important issue is that we openly discuss the major issues facing Ukraine on a daily basis and what we must do to fix them.”
An account appearing to belong to Routh also repeatedly posted Ukraine-related posts, with X saying he was prepared to travel to Ukraine to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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“I’m going to Ukraine to fight. We need to launch a media campaign to encourage every human being around the world to meet in Ukraine and join the fight. We need millions of citizens to raise the cost of the war for Putin and bring in a flood of fighters,” the Routh account posted on February 17, 2022.
After repeated messages declaring his intention to fight for Ukraine, the X account posted in April that Routh was in Kyiv.
“I’m here in Kyiv and I want to use the Independence Park to create a tent city for all the foreigners who are here, so that thousands of foreign citizens can come here and support Ukraine,” he said, according to Ex-Post.
Trump has said on multiple occasions that he would end the Ukraine-Russia conflict within 24 hours if he were elected. During his ABC debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump did not explicitly say he wanted Ukraine to win the war. “Just get it done. All right. Negotiate a deal,” Trump said.
Trump firing: Timeline of the assassination attempt
An FBI officer works outside the Trump International Golf Club after an assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynn Sladky)
An earlier background check conducted by Fox News Digital also found Routh has been accused of repeated sexual assaults. Confrontation with law enforcement in North Carolina spanning decades.
A Most arrests This includes simple possession, driving without a license, driving with expired registration, driving without insurance, etc.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Brooke Curto contributed to this report.
