2024 Trump assassin updates
Ryan Routh, the man who attempted to kill President Donald Trump in September 2024, allegedly attempted to purchase military-grade weapons from a Ukrainian contact as part of the assassination plot.
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BACKSTORY: On September 15, 2024, a Secret Service agent shot at least four rounds at Routh, who was hiding with an SKS-style rifle in shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. He was allegedly pointing his weapon through the fence line of the golf course, 300–500 yards (250–450 meters) away from Trump, who was moving between holes. Routh fled the scene but was later arrested as the prime suspect. An update given by the FBI on September 16 mentioned that Routh had not fired his weapon.
Routh said in a 2022 interview with a Romanian reporter in Kyiv, that he flew to Ukraine to join the army in the months after Russia's full-scale invasion but learned that he was "not an ideal candidate" for the battlefield because he was in his mid-50s with no military experience.
A former volunteer for Ukraine's International Legion, Evelyn Aschenbrenner, branded Routh as "delusional" and a "liar" over his claims that he recruited for the Ukrainian organization, saying Routh was "not, and never has been, associated with the International Legion or the Ukrainian Armed Forces at all".
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Prior to the assassination attempt, Ryan Routh asked a Ukrainian contact to “"send me a rpg [rocket-propelled grenade] or stinger, and I will see what we can do… [Trump] is not good for Ukraine," according to court documents obtained by Fox News. When asked about his intent, Routh stated, "I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected." Prosecutors say that Routh also floated the idea of obtaining a rocket or missile launcher, sending images of President Trump’s plane.
It should also be mentioned that Routh was allegedly planning this assassination attempt for nearly six months. In March and April 2024, Routh scouted the location; and from May to September, Routh spoke to associates in Mexico about plans to smuggle him out of the country. In August 2024, Routh attempted to purchase a .50 caliber rifle but ended up only purchasing an SKS.
Routh pleaded not guilty to the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
10 April 2025