Man arrested for alleged attempted murder of Trump must appear in federal court

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The man arrested in connection with the alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump will appear in federal court on Monday.

This latest alleged attempt on Trump's life occurred on Sunday while the former president was at the Trump International Golf Course. At around 1:30 p.m., a U.S. Secret Service agent who was one hole ahead of Trump noticed a man with an AK-47 rifle in the bushes and shot the man, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw explained during a press conference.

The man fled the golf course and got into a black Nissan SUV, but before he did, he was seen by a witness who alerted police, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. With the photo in hand, other agencies were asked to be on the lookout for the man, and he was eventually spotted and arrested on I-95 North in Martin County.

Trump was not injured in the incident.

Ryan Wesley Routh was identified as the man behind the alleged attack.

See also: Shooting at Trump International Golf Club, former president safe, suspect in custody

The Associated Press reported that Routh, 58, spent most of his life in North Carolina before moving to Kaaawa, Hawaii, in 2018. In Hawaii, he and his son ran a shed-building business, according to the company's archived website.

According to the Associated Press, Routh was active on social media and frequently discussed the conflict in Ukraine, even running a website to raise support and funds for volunteers traveling to Kyiv to help fight the Russian invasion.

In June 2020, he addressed then-President Trump and suggested that issuing an executive order to prosecute police misconduct would ensure his re-election. He also expressed support for Tulsi Gabbard's Democratic presidential campaign that year. However, his views on Trump appear to have soured in recent years, as his posts reflect a favoritism toward President Biden and Vice President Harris.

According to the Associated Press, after Trump's assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, Routh called on Biden and Harris to visit the injured in the hospital and attend the funeral of a former fire chief who was killed at the rally.

Voter records show that Routh registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012 and last voted in person in the state's Democratic Party primary in March 2024. In addition, federal campaign finance records show that Routh made 19 small political donations totaling $140 since 2019, using his Hawaii address to support Democratic candidates through ActBlue, a political action committee.

The records also show that Routh had several encounters with police during his time in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Routh's trial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday morning in federal court in West Palm Beach.

This is a developing story, more details will be provided.

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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