Suspect described Trump's assassination attempt in pre-written note

A suspected gunman arrested near Donald Trump's golf course wrote a note months earlier declaring his intention to kill the former president, a court filing shows.

“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” the note said.

Prosecutors attached the note to a court filing on Monday and announced they would seek to charge 58-year-old Ryan Routh with the attempted murder of a major political candidate.

Routh has been in custody in Florida since his arrest on September 15.

U.S. federal judge Ryon McCabe ordered Routh to remain behind bars without bail until his trial, citing the “strong evidence against the defendant.”

Routh currently faces two federal weapons charges, including possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

However, federal prosecutors said in court that they would ask a grand jury in the coming days to also charge Routh with the more serious crime of planning an assassination of a political candidate. The evidence suggested that he planned an attack on Trump.

In the pre-written letter, addressed to The World and sent to an unnamed witness months before the September 15 events, Routh appears to be preempting a failed assassination attempt on the former president.

“I tried my best and mustered all the courage I could,” the letter says.

Routh, who told a judge at his first court appearance last week that he has no money or savings, goes on to say in his letter that he will offer a cash reward to anyone “who can do the job.”

A box containing the letter, as well as ammunition, building materials, tools and four telephones, was left at the witness's house before the incident, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

In the filing, prosecutors say the witness, whose relationship to Routh is unclear, opened the box after learning of the alleged assassination attempt and then contacted authorities.

The documents were filed in support of Routh's continued detention.

Routh was arrested after a Secret Service agent securing the sixth hole of Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach spotted his face in the foliage before noticing a rifle, prosecutors say.

The agent then jumped out of his golf cart, drew his gun and fired after seeing Routh allegedly move his weapon, the court filing said. Routh did not fire his weapon at any point during the incident, police said.

The suspect managed to escape, leaving the gun and some other items at the scene. He was arrested shortly afterward after a witness spotted him on Interstate 95, a major highway.

According to court documents, he had eleven rounds of ammunition, one of which fit into the rifle.

Investigators also found a handwritten list in Trump's vehicle with the dates on which public appearances were planned between August and October.

Phone records show that Routh stayed near Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort for nearly a month between August 18 and September 15.

Routh is originally from North Carolina and has spent much of his life there, although he most recently lived in Hawaii. He has had numerous legal problems in the past, including multiple charges related to stolen goods between 1997 and 2010.

In 2022, Routh traveled to Ukraine to recruit foreign soldiers for the Ukrainian military after the invasion by Russian forces. His attempt failed.

The American reportedly was in regular contact with the Legion and shared ideas that one Ukrainian soldier described as “nonsensical” and “delusional.”

The suspect had also admitted to being rejected himself, claiming it was due to his age and lack of combat experience.

The prosecution argues that he must remain in custody until his trial because he poses a flight risk and a danger to the community.

Routh is also scheduled to appear in court on September 30, where he is expected to plead either guilty or not guilty to the charges.