WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump wasn’t harmed by Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt as he golfed near his Florida club. But the second attack on his life in barely two months is likely to further unsettle an election cycle already marked by upheaval.
The man suspected in the incident, Ryan Wesley Routh , camped outside the golf courses in West Palm Beach with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours, according to court documents filed Monday. He is accused of lying in wait for the former president before a Secret Service agent opened fire, thwarting the potential attack. Here are five things to know about what happened and where the investigation stands: Routh, 58, faces charges of possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Additional charges are possible. The suspect lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii. He and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.
Routh appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach on Monday. He had previously posted frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion. “Fight and die to stop aggression,” he posted on X in February 2023 about Ukraine.
“Everyone should be outraged and hel.