Suspect in apparent assassination attempt of Trump charged, may have been lying in wait for nearly 12 hours

By Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Michael Williams and Devan Cole, CNN

West Palm Beach, Florida (CNN) — Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, may have been lying in wait for nearly 12 hours along the tree line at Trump’s golf club, authorities said in a criminal complaint on Monday.

Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number during an initial appearance in federal court Monday morning. The investigation into Sunday’s apparent attempt on Trump’s life is continuing, and additional charges could be brought, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

The initial gun-related charges were filed as prosecutors seek to keep Routh detained while authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Wearing dark prison scrubs, his feet and hands shackled, Routh nodded and answered “yes” to questions asked by Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe.

McCabe found Routh could not afford his own attorney after Routh said he had “zero funds” in his own savings. Kristy Militello, the federal public defender assigned to Routh’s case, declined to comment after the hearing.

A detention hearing has been set for September 23, and the arraignment is set for September 30. Routh will be held in jail while he awaits trial.

The incident happened about 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday after a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of a rifle poking from the fence between the 5th and 6th hole of Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, Florida, in a tree line near a heavily traveled road.

Cell-phone data indicates Routh may have spent nearly 12 hours on Sunday near the area where he was spotted in the bushes along the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club, according to charging documents unsealed on Monday. An FBI agent said in an affidavit filed in court that during their initial investigation, authorities got phone records from T-Mobile that indicated Routh’s phone was “in the vicinity of the area” where he was first spotted by US Secret Service from around 1:59 a.m. ET Sunday until 1:31 p.m. ET, when a Secret Service agent saw his rifle poking out from a tree line.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the agent fired at the gunman, who officials said was within 500 yards of Trump. Bradshaw said no shots were fired by the gunman, who later fled in a car. The Secret Service later said Routh had no line of sight on the former president.

Along the fence line, authorities found a sniper’s nest which included a scoped rifle, a GoPro camera and backpacks with ceramic plates.

“This whole set-up indicates a very high level of pre-planning,” former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe told CNN.

Routh was driving his daughter’s car when he was later detained, according to a law enforcement source. A picture released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office after he was detained showed him wearing a long-sleeved, salmon-colored shirt with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Routh remained silent while being detained, local state attorney David Aronberg told CNN. Trump’s golf outing was not on his public schedule and it’s not yet clear how Routh allegedly knew where Trump would be at that moment.

Aronberg said Routh will face federal, not state charges. He told MSNBC that Florida initially considered pursuing state charges, but stood down when federal agents took over the case.

‘Delusional ideas’

On social media, Routh was a staunch supporter of Ukraine who said he supported Trump in 2016 but later became disillusioned with the former president. He’s been frequently critical of Trump recently.

Routh traveled to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion two years ago, attending a rally in Kyiv on May 1, 2022. Representatives for Ukraine’s foreign legion said Routh contacted them several times but distanced themselves from Routh.

Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Land Forces Command, told CNN over the phone that “the best way to describe his messages is – delusional ideas.”

Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri said Monday that Routh had a very active online presence and that authorities were still going through his social media.

“In addition, we’re going through media reports and public statements he made that he wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers and others to fight for Ukraine,” said Veltri, of the Miami field office. “The FBI has sent multiple requests to companies for returns on the subject’s phone and social media accounts.”

The FBI is working with its partners to pursue search warrants for Routh’s vehicle, cell phone and other devices, Veltri added.

Routh’s son Oran Routh called him a “good father, and a great man” in a statement on Sunday.

Aronberg told MSNBC there may be grounds to charge Routh with being in possession of a firearm as an ex-felon and aggravated assault against a federal law enforcement officer for pointing the rifle at the Secret Service agent. However, it may be difficult to charge Routh with a crime against Trump specifically. Aronberg said the distance between Routh and Trump, between 300 to 500 yards, might be too far for the court to be certain Routh was aiming his rifle at Trump.

Instead, Aronberg said it will be much easier to charge Routh with aiming at the Secret Service agent who saw the rifle barrel pointed at him.

“That’s the key witness here and that would be, perhaps, the most serious charge,” Aronberg said.

When asked about the possibility of an insanity argument, Aronberg said it will be very difficult to argue because Routh fled the scene, which showed he was aware his actions were wrong.

“You can explain it as the fact this guy’s got a screw loose,” Aronberg said, “(but that) doesn’t mean he’s legally insane under the law, that’s a higher burden.”

Biden says Secret Service needs ‘more help’

President Joe Biden wants Congress to give the US Secret Service “more help” in the wake of Sunday’s incident.

“Thank God the president is OK,” Biden told reporters Monday morning.

He said he thought there was a “full report so far.”

“The one thing I want to make clear is (the Secret Service) needs more help, and I think the Congress should respond to their needs if they, in fact, need more Service people,” Biden said at the White House, shortly before leaving for Delaware and Pennsylvania. “So that’s what we’re going to be talking about.”

Asked what kind of help they needed, Biden responded, “I think we need some more personnel.”

“I think they may need – they’re deciding whether they need more personnel or not,” Biden said.

Staffing issues have plagued the Secret Service for years. Agents and officers have described feeling burned out by overtime shifts and long assignments, leading to high turnover.

Then-USSS Director Kim Cheatle told Congress over the summer that the agency currently has 8,000 employees but that its goal was to reach 9,500.

On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.”

“I am thankful that former President Trump is safe,” she added.

Latest escalation in bitter campaign

Coming 51 days before the election, the apparent attempt on the former president’s life is the latest escalation in what has been an extremely bitter political campaign — including another assassination attempt that wounded Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 and a separate Iranian plot against Trump that was foiled earlier this year.

It left Biden and Harris once again having to decry political violence. Biden was briefed about the attempt on Trump’s life shortly after it was foiled and released a statement saying he was “relieved” Trump was unharmed and that “there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country.”

Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Trump sought to blame Biden and Harris for the apparent attempt on his life, saying “their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at.”

“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Digital of Routh.

Biden and Harris have both argued Trump presents a clear threat to US democracy. When Biden kicked off his 2024 campaign that he has since suspended, he pointed to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol that Trump incited and argued Trump was “willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power.”

Harris has argued Trump is a “threat to our democracy and fundamental freedoms.”

Trump frequently uses inflammatory rhetoric when attacking his political rivals, judges overseeing his criminal cases, prosecutors who have brought charges against him, undocumented immigrants, people who don’t support his campaign and others.

Trump has vowed retribution if he is reelected and has repeatedly suggested he would weaponize the justice system to prosecute his political opponents. Trump also recently threatened prosecution and “long-term prison sentences” for election officials and political operatives, who he suggested could cheat in the 2024 election.

Harris is scheduled to attend a campaign meeting in Washington Monday afternoon, according to guidance from her campaign office. CNN previously reported Harris would also attend a rank-and-file roundtable with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at the union’s headquarters in Washington on Monday.

Trump will appear at the launch for a new cryptocurrency business at his Mar-a-Lago home Monday evening.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Mina Allen, Nikki Carvajal and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

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