Suspect in Trump assassination attempt may have lain in wait for 12 hours
WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - A man suspected of hiding for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was charged with two gun-related crimes on Monday, a day after authorities say he was spotted in the bushes with a rifle as the former U.S. president played nearby.
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election, was unharmed as the suspect never had Trump in his line of sight and did not fire any shots. But the incident raised questions about how an armed suspect was able to get so close to him, just two months after another gunman fired at Trump during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear with a bullet.
Trump's visit to his golf course in West Palm Beach was not on his public schedule, Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told reporters on Monday afternoon, and it was not clear whether the suspect knew Trump would be there.
The Secret Service opened fire after an agent sweeping the course saw a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes a few hundred yards away from the former president, who was on the fairway of the fifth hole.
The gunman fled in a sports utility vehicle, according to the complaint. Officers found a loaded assault-style rifle with a scope, a digital camera and a plastic bag of food left behind.
A suspect, identified on Monday as Ryan Routh, 58, was arrested about 40 minutes later driving north on Interstate 95. The license plate on his vehicle had been reported stolen from another car.
Records show a phone associated with Routh was located at the golf course starting at 1:59 a.m. (0559 GMT) on Sunday morning, 11-1/2 hours before the incident.
The suspect was on the "public side" of a fence along the golf course's boundary, Rowe said.
Routh was the subject of a 2019 tip to the FBI alleging that he was a convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm, Jeffrey Veltri, the agent in charge of the FBI's Miami field office, told reporters.
The complainant was unable to verify the information when the FBI investigated the tip, Veltri said.
Routh made a brief appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach on Monday, where he was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. More charges could follow.
The defendant invoked his right to an attorney when investigators sought to question him, Rowe said.
In 2002, Routh pleaded guilty in North Carolina to possession of an unregistered fully automatic gun, defined in state law as a weapon of mass destruction, according to the county district attorney's office, and was sentenced to probation. He was also convicted of possessing stolen goods in 2010.
Trump's campaign schedule will remain unchanged, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, for the apparent assassination attempt. He claimed the suspected gunman was acting on Democrats' "highly inflammatory language," though authorities have not yet offered evidence of any motive.
"Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country - both from the inside and out," he said, according to Fox.
Both Biden and Harris decried the incident, and Biden also spoke with Trump on Monday.
"President Biden just spoke with former President Trump, and conveyed his relief that he is safe. The two shared a cordial conversation and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call," the White House said in a statement.
Trump, in a statement to CNN, called it a "very nice call."
SECRET SERVICE UNDER PRESSURE
The Secret Service, which protects U.S. presidents, presidential candidates and other high-level dignitaries, has been under intense scrutiny since the earlier attempt on Trump's life.
That led to the resignation of Director Kimberly Cheatle. The service bolstered Trump's security detail following the July 13 attack, in which the gunman was shot dead by responding agents.
The agency "needs more help," including possibly more personnel, Biden told reporters on Monday, adding: "Thank God the president's OK."
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who convened a bipartisan task force to investigate the first assassination attempt, told Fox News that Congress would also examine the latest incident, saying, "We need accountability."
Rowe, who took over after Cheatle's resignation in July, told Congress on July 30 he was "ashamed" of security lapses in the earlier attack.
SUSPECT IS UKRAINE SYMPATHIZER
Routh is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and traveled there after Russia's 2022 invasion, seeking to recruit foreign fighters. Ukrainian officials distanced themselves from Routh on Monday, and The International Legion, where many foreign fighters in Ukraine serve, said it had no links with Routh.
Profiles on X, Facebook and LinkedIn with Routh's name contained messages of support for Ukraine as well as statements describing Trump as a threat to U.S. democracy.
"@POTUS Your campaign should be called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA ...make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose," read a post on X, tagging Biden.
Reuters was unable to confirm the accounts belonged to the suspect. Public access to the Facebook and X profiles was removed hours after Sunday's incident.
Harris and other Democrats have cast Trump as a danger to U.S. democracy, citing his effort to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election, which led to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Harris has promised unwavering support for Ukraine if elected.
Trump has expressed skepticism about the amount of aid the U.S. has provided Ukraine and has vowed to end the war immediately if elected. He told Reuters last year that Ukraine might have to cede some territory to gain peace.
