Suspected Palm Beach assassination attempt: Suspect 'did not shoot' Donald Trump, Secret Service says

Les enquêteurs du FBI près du golf où les faits se sont déroulés, dimanche à Palm Beach, en Floride. EPA – CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH

The 58-year-old man suspected of trying to kill Donald Trump on Sunday was charged Monday with possession of an illegal weapon.

Ryan Wesley Routh, the man suspected of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on Sunday in Palm Beach, Florida, has been formally indicted by the American justice system, CNN reported on Monday.

The man faces two counts of firearms-related charges, a move that will allow investigators to hold him in custody while other charges are filed.

Authorities said Secret Service agents spotted the barrel of a rifle sticking out of bushes about 1,200 feet to 1,500 feet from where Trump was on the green as they made rounds before the former president continued his round.

After spotting the rifle, the agents opened fire on the man hidden in the bushes. It was around 1:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. French time). The suspect, however, “did not shoot,” the Secret Service announced on Monday.

An AK-47

An AK-47 assault rifle and other equipment (including video recording equipment, according to US media) were left at the scene by the suspect after he attempted to flee. A witness who saw the assailant was able to take photos of the vehicle and license plate before he fled, Ric Bradshaw said.

After the suspect fled, police sent out an alert to all law enforcement agencies in the state of Florida. The information provided led to the suspect's arrest in Martin County, about 40 miles from Donald Trump's golf resort.

According to the American agency Associated Press, citing court documents filed on Monday, Ryan Wesley Routh remained for nearly twelve hours outside the golf course where the events occurred. The sequence of events having been more or less established, the profile of the accused began to emerge quickly in the American media.

Coming from Hawaii, fervent defender of Ukraine

Thus, according to the national television networks CNN and CBS, Ryan Wesley Routh is an independent home builder in Hawaii, with a long criminal record. The accused regularly published articles online on politics, as well as numerous comments on current events, sometimes being critical of Donald Trump. A Donald Trump he would have initially supported in 2016.

Disappointed, he then turned to other Republican figures, before being recognized as a Democratic voter last March, since he participated in the Democratic primary vote. This man is also apparently very active in support of the Ukrainian cause since the Russian invasion, going so far as to go to Ukraine.

Agence France-Presse finally recalled having interviewed him at the end of April 2022, when he was participating in a demonstration in support of the Ukrainians trapped in the port city of Mariupol.

A tense campaign

Additionally, public access to Routh's Facebook and X accounts was blocked hours after his arrest. The alleged assassination attempt comes just two months after Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and injured in the right ear without serious injuries.

Both incidents highlight the challenges of maintaining security around candidates in the Nov. 5 presidential election, at a time of high tension and a deeply divided country.

The Secret Service, the agency responsible for the security of major political figures in the United States, “needs more help,” Biden said, including the possibility to increase its workforce. “Thank God the president is fine.”