Ryan W Routh, a 58-year-old man suspected of planning to assassinate former President Donald Trump, has been charged with two gun-related crimes after being found on the perimeter of Trump’s golf course in Florida with a loaded SKS semi-automatic rifle. Despite not firing any shots or having Trump in his line of sight, the FBI is treating the incident as an assassination attempt. Routh was arrested and is being held on charges of illegally possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. This marks the second assassination attempt on Trump in two months, raising questions about the security around the former president.
The Secret Service, under scrutiny following the previous attempt on Trump’s life, has bolstered Trump’s security detail and is investigating how Routh knew of Trump’s golfing plans. Trump, who was uninjured in both incidents, has expressed gratitude to law enforcement for keeping him safe and blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the attempt on his life. Both Biden and Harris condemned political violence and urged for calm following the incident.
Routh has prior felony convictions in North Carolina and has a history of social media posts expressing support for Ukraine, as well as conflicting views on Trump and Biden. The FBI is likely examining his social media accounts to determine a motive for the alleged assassination attempt. Ukrainian officials have distanced themselves from Routh, stating he has no affiliation with any foreign fighter groups in the country. The investigation into Routh’s background and motive for wanting to kill Trump continues as authorities seek to prevent any further violent incidents.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
