Court reveals suspect accused of Trump assassination plot

A man arrested near former President Donald Trump’s golf course in Florida allegedly wrote a premeditated note months before the incident, claiming it was an assassination attempt on Trump, according to a court filing.

The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, has been in custody since his arrest on September 15 and is now facing federal gun charges, with prosecutors seeking to add the more serious charge of attempting to assassinate a political candidate.

“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” read the note, which was included in a court filing by federal prosecutors on Monday. The chilling message, addressed to “The World,” was written months before the arrest and indicated Routh had been planning an attack on the former president.

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According to the court documents, Routh left a box containing the note, ammunition, building materials, tools, and phones at the home of an unnamed witness prior to the September 15 incident. The witness later contacted authorities after discovering the contents of the box, following news of Routh’s arrest. The documents revealed that Routh had also been tracking Trump’s public appearances between August and October, with a handwritten list of dates found in his vehicle.

Routh was apprehended after a Secret Service agent noticed him hiding in the bushes near the sixth hole of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. The agent spotted Routh with a rifle and fired a warning shot after seeing him allegedly move the weapon, though Routh did not fire back. The suspect fled the scene, leaving behind his rifle, and was arrested soon after on Interstate 95, a major Florida highway.

Court documents state that Routh was in possession of 11 rounds of ammunition, one of which was chambered in the rifle. Investigators also uncovered that Routh had been surveilling Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for nearly a month leading up to the incident.

Routh, originally from North Carolina but recently residing in Hawaii, has a history of legal troubles, including multiple charges for stolen goods. Prosecutors argued that he should remain in custody, citing his criminal history, the severity of the charges, and the potential risk he poses to the community. They also noted Routh’s attempt to travel to Ukraine in 2022 to join the military amid the ongoing war, a mission described by one Ukrainian soldier as “nonsensical” and “delusional.”

During his initial court appearance, Routh claimed he had no financial means, and prosecutors indicated that they plan to seek additional charges for plotting an assassination. Federal Judge Ryon McCabe ruled that Routh will remain behind bars without bail pending his trial, stating, “The weight of the evidence against the defendant is strong.”

Routh’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for September 30, where he is expected to enter a plea to the charges. Prosecutors are pushing for a grand jury to formally charge him with attempting to assassinate a major political candidate. As the case unfolds, authorities are continuing their investigation into the suspect’s actions and motivations.