Trump assassination attempt in Florida: Who is suspect Ryan Routh?

Clarifications and corrections: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect description of Ryan Routh's voter registration.

The man held in a suspected assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was an impassioned supporter of Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion, and also appeared to have an extensive history of business troubles and court filings.

Ryan Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday and is awaiting a federal court appearance, David Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, told USA TODAY.

Authorities said a man stuck the barrel of a rifle through the fence at the edge of the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the former president was golfing. Secret Service agents on the course spotted the weapon and opened fire on the man, who fled.

Authorities said they identified the vehicle, a black Nissan, thanks to a bystander's photograph, and soon traced it to neighboring Martin County to the north. Routh was arrested while driving on Interstate 95.

At the scene of the apparent assassination attempt, officials found the rifle, a black backpack and a bag containing ceramic tile, and a GoPro camera.

More: Secret Service's elevated presence thwarted potential second Trump assassination attempt

Public records indicate a man of that age named Ryan Routh lived in Hawaii, but voting records showed the same man as a longtime voter in North Carolina.

State voting records show him casting ballots in general and municipal elections going back many cycles, including 2008 and 2012 − though not in 2016, when Trump first ran. Records suggest he is not affiliated with a party.

The same records show Routh voted most recently in the March primary election this year in Guilford County, North Carolina. He voted Democratic.

A history of fiery, idealistic commentary

Authorities did not release any information on the would-be gunman Sunday night. But the man named Ryan Routh had already left behind a swath of social media posts and media interviews that began forming a picture of an impulsive person who said he was willing to risk his life for his ideals – and who made claims that sometimes tested credulity.

Besides being a builder and entrepreneur, Routh had told several major media outlets that he worked to recruit soldiers to foreign wars he believed in.

On a phone number associated with Routh, the voicemail greeting as of Sunday identified the number's owner as "Ryan in Hawaii," working with the "National Volunteer Center, sending soldiers to Ukraine, as well as Taiwan." He urged callers to send him a message through WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram or Facebook. Phone calls placed to him were not returned Sunday.

It wasn't immediately clear what National Volunteer Center he was referring to in the message. The International Volunteer Center in Ukraine, which works to place foreign fighters in Ukrainian military units, told USA TODAY it has never had any contact with Routh.

A profile for Ryan Routh on X dates to January 2020, where he posted a range of passionate opinions on issues including Black Lives Matter, Taiwanese sovereignty and supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia.

In spring 2022, Routh suggested in a series of X posts that he had traveled to Ukraine to fight on behalf of the beleaguered country. In one, he tweeted at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's account, telling him, "I am an American coming to fight with you in Ukraine; I am flying into Krakow and will take any transport to Kyiv to meet you and fight to the death ... We must get every civilian in the world to come and join the fight; I will be the example. Attack moscow now."

The next day, he dispatched another tweet: "I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE." USA TODAY could not confirm if Routh actually did travel to Ukraine.

Routh did an interview with Romanian Newsweek in June 2022. In the videotaped conversation, Routh is seen in a small room, curtained windows behind him. Taunt-faced and white-haired, he urges others to join him in Ukraine to fight against Russian forces.

"If everybody’s complacent and doesn’t join this fight, guess who's going to win," Routh said in the video. "It might take 10 years, but we’re going to lose this battle if everyone around the globe doesn’t stop what they're doing, get off the couch and come to Ukraine and defend the human rights of everyone around the globe. This is the most important thing going on today."

A New York Times story in March 2023 described Routh as a "former construction worker from Greensboro, N.C." It said Routh was recruiting Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban and encouraging them to fight in Ukraine. He told the Times dozens of them had expressed interest.

That same month, Routh also told the news site Semafor that he was leading the effort to recruit foreigners to Ukrainian military units. "I'm talking to over 100 soldiers every day," he told the site. "Pretty much everybody ... all my contacts in Ukraine ... they're adamant, pretty much yelled at me, each time I suggested we bring in Afghans."

That zeal to protect Ukraine from Russian hostility may have been one of the main drivers motivating Routh on Sunday, said Aronberg, the Palm Beach prosecutor. “He’s someone who obviously has some issues,” he said. “Normal people don’t commit crimes like this.”

Phone calls to a variety of apparent relatives in North Carolina were not returned Sunday night.

Business deals become conflicts

Even while urging others to take up arms against foreign foes, court records show Routh earned a living as a roofer and contractor. But often business dealings went sour.

The North Carolina Judicial Branch, which includes Guilford County where Routh had many previous addresses, lists more than 200 court cases involving Routh, ranging from companies trying to recoup money allegedly owed them to tax delinquencies.

Around 2017 or 2018, Routh moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. There, a man with the same name launched a company called Camp Box Engineering, offering small, affordable, custom-built homes. "Everyone should be able to have their own private spot on the island and know they are worthy, worthwhile and belong as a part of the community," Camp Box's website states, on an "About" page signed by "Ryan Routh and Adam Routh."

But controversy followed Routh to the islands.

Saili Levi runs a farm on the North Shore of Oahu, 11 miles from Camp Box. Levi told USA TODAY he approached Routh two years ago about building a structure he could transport around the island to sell his produce. Routh took a hefty deposit on the project, but never completed it, Levi said.

When he asked for his money back, Routh refused, Levi said. The two men traded emails and text messages for a few weeks before Levi decided to cut his losses, he said. Routh’s communications were erratic, and Levi was worried for the safety of his family, he told USA TODAY.

“I decided he maybe wasn’t all there, so I decided to leave it alone, because he knew where I lived,” Levi said.

In an August 2023 email to Levi, Routh stated that he had spent a total of seven months in Ukraine over two years.

“It is sad that the best humans among us are sacrificing themselves and getting killed on the front lines while the people that do not care live happy carefree lives; very sad," Routh said in the email. "Perhaps I would be happier dead on the front lines than dealing with rich people.”

Authorities intercept suspect

At a press conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw estimated Trump was about 300 to 500 yards away from the scene of the assassination attempt when the Secret Service opened fire.

The rifle found at the scene , which Bradshaw described as an AK-style assault rifle but others have speculated is a similar model designed in Russia, was equipped with a multi-round magazine and a long-range scope. "With a rifle with a scope like that, that's not a long distance," Bradshaw said.

If Sunday's incident is confirmed to be an attempt on Trump's life, it will the the second in the past two months.

A lone gunman, later identified as Thomas Crooks, 18, opened fire at a crowded rally in Western Pennsylvania on July 13. A bullet grazed Trump's ear and he was rushed off stage by U.S. Secret Service after at least six shots rang out. One spectator was killed by and two others were critically injured. Crooks, perched on the roof of an adjoining warehouse, was killed by Secret Service agents, who returned fire.

The incident drew a firestorm of criticism and questions, including how Crooks managed to get so close to the president, despite his Secret Service protection.

In Sunday's press conference, Sheriff Bradshaw described how the suspect managed to get to the fence surrounding the golf course. He said the golf course is "surrounded by shrubbery" with a limited perimeter.

"When somebody gets into the shrubbery, they're pretty much out of sight," he said.

Because Trump is not a sitting president, Bradshaw said, "security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible," but that will likely change in the future. "I would imagine the next time he comes at a golf course, there'll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter, but the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done. They provided exactly what the protection should have been, and their agent did a fantastic job."

Contributing: Josh Meyer, Kim Hjelmgaard, Sarah Gleason.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump assassination attempt in Florida: Who is suspect Ryan Routh?