North Carolina man implicated in Trump event allegedly lingered near his golf course for up to 12 hours
Cell phone location data acquired by the FBI reveals that Ryan Routh's phone was positioned near the Trump International Golf Course shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday.
TroibNews 
A North Carolina man armed with a semi-automatic rifle may have spent more than 11 hours lying in wait for former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course on Sunday, leading to Trump's hasty evacuation after a Secret Service agent opened fire upon spotting the rifle's barrel, federal officials report.
This detail surfaced in a federal criminal complaint filed Monday, which charges 58-year-old Ryan Routh with gun-related offenses connected to the incident occurring near Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
Cell phone location data obtained by the FBI indicates that Routh “was located in the vicinity of the area of the tree line” at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach from just before 2:00 a.m. Sunday until approximately 1:30 p.m., as stated by FBI Special Agent Mark Thomas.
This time frame aligns with when a Secret Service agent allegedly noticed a gun muzzle protruding from a nearby fence and fired at Routh, who subsequently fled north in a vehicle, according to investigators.
Additionally, a bag containing food found at the scene suggests that Routh may have camped in the shrubbery surrounding the golf course for an extended period.
Routh appeared in federal court Monday morning in West Palm Beach for a brief hearing, clad in a blue jail jumpsuit. A magistrate judge informed him of the charges: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, as noted in court records.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe ordered Routh to be held without bond until a detention hearing on September 23. The judge determined Routh to be “indigent” and appointed a federal defender to represent him, according to court documents.
While the FBI is treating the incident as an apparent assassination attempt, initial charges against Routh are limited to gun-related offenses without a specific attempted assassination charge or any violent crime.
The complaint against Routh indicates that law enforcement discovered an SKS-style, 7.62x39 caliber rifle and scope near the Trump International Golf Course's perimeter. According to Thomas, the serial number “was unreadable to the naked eye.”
Charges in a federal criminal complaint are preliminary, with a grand jury indictment typically necessary for the case to proceed. Prosecutors may use this process to add further counts.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg reported Monday that Routh does not appear to have fired the rifle he allegedly pointed at a Secret Service agent while Trump was playing nearby.
“Apparently, [Routh] pointed the AK-47 style rifle at a Secret Service agent, who acted promptly and shot at him,” Aronberg stated on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “The only shots, apparently, that were fired were from the Secret Service.”
Even if Routh did not discharge the weapon, he could still face an attempted assassination charge, although authorities may wish to gather further evidence to substantiate his intent.
Routh was apprehended Sunday on Interstate 95 in Martin County, just north of Palm Beach County, after law enforcement disseminated a description of his vehicle and license plate.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw mentioned a witness observed Routh “running out of the bushes” near the course and took a photo of Routh’s black Nissan and its license plate as he departed. The Secret Service later located a rifle, a backpack, and a GoPro camera attached to the fence near where Routh was seen by an agent conducting a security check ahead of Trump's arrival.
The new criminal complaint states that the license plate on Routh's Nissan SUV was reported stolen from a Ford truck.
Aronberg noted in a press conference Sunday afternoon that his office was preparing legal documents to detain Routh, but federal prosecutors later took over the case.
“We were working on some warrants and a motion for pretrial detention to ensure he stayed behind bars until the feds could get involved,” Aronberg explained on MSNBC. “After the press conference, they announced they were asserting jurisdiction. We stood down. That's pretty normal. They're better equipped to handle this….The feds are on top of this.”
Routh has an extensive criminal history in North Carolina, including a felony conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction stemming from a 2002 incident where he barricaded himself in a Greensboro business following a traffic stop. The weapon of mass destruction charge was linked to an illegal fully-automatic weapon in his possession, according to a report by the Greensboro News & Record.
In addition to this, Routh has been convicted of multiple felony counts of possession of stolen goods, as detailed in the criminal complaint filed Monday.
Routh also has connections to Hawaii, where he worked in construction and participated in initiatives to build housing for the homeless. A white pickup truck parked outside his home in Hawaii bears a Biden-Harris bumper sticker, and neighbors reported seeing a sign supporting Biden on his lawn.
Federal records reveal that Routh made small donations to Democratic candidates, but, in a 2020 tweet, he indicated he voted for Trump in 2016.
“While you were my choice…I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment [sic] and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” Routh wrote. That account now appears suspended.
In recent years, Routh was heavily involved in efforts to send fighters to Ukraine to aid in the country's defense against the Russian invasion. In 2022, he traveled to Ukraine and later authored a book titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War.” This self-published, 291-page text critiques President Joe Biden, but takes a particularly harsh stance toward Trump.
In a passage directed at the Iranian government, Routh seemed to suggest that Iran should assassinate Trump in response to his decision to withdraw from the deal established by the Obama administration to limit Iran’s nuclear program.
“I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake and Iran I apologize,” Routh wrote. “You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal.”
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
This detail surfaced in a federal criminal complaint filed Monday, which charges 58-year-old Ryan Routh with gun-related offenses connected to the incident occurring near Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
Cell phone location data obtained by the FBI indicates that Routh “was located in the vicinity of the area of the tree line” at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach from just before 2:00 a.m. Sunday until approximately 1:30 p.m., as stated by FBI Special Agent Mark Thomas.
This time frame aligns with when a Secret Service agent allegedly noticed a gun muzzle protruding from a nearby fence and fired at Routh, who subsequently fled north in a vehicle, according to investigators.
Additionally, a bag containing food found at the scene suggests that Routh may have camped in the shrubbery surrounding the golf course for an extended period.
Routh appeared in federal court Monday morning in West Palm Beach for a brief hearing, clad in a blue jail jumpsuit. A magistrate judge informed him of the charges: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, as noted in court records.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe ordered Routh to be held without bond until a detention hearing on September 23. The judge determined Routh to be “indigent” and appointed a federal defender to represent him, according to court documents.
While the FBI is treating the incident as an apparent assassination attempt, initial charges against Routh are limited to gun-related offenses without a specific attempted assassination charge or any violent crime.
The complaint against Routh indicates that law enforcement discovered an SKS-style, 7.62x39 caliber rifle and scope near the Trump International Golf Course's perimeter. According to Thomas, the serial number “was unreadable to the naked eye.”
Charges in a federal criminal complaint are preliminary, with a grand jury indictment typically necessary for the case to proceed. Prosecutors may use this process to add further counts.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg reported Monday that Routh does not appear to have fired the rifle he allegedly pointed at a Secret Service agent while Trump was playing nearby.
“Apparently, [Routh] pointed the AK-47 style rifle at a Secret Service agent, who acted promptly and shot at him,” Aronberg stated on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “The only shots, apparently, that were fired were from the Secret Service.”
Even if Routh did not discharge the weapon, he could still face an attempted assassination charge, although authorities may wish to gather further evidence to substantiate his intent.
Routh was apprehended Sunday on Interstate 95 in Martin County, just north of Palm Beach County, after law enforcement disseminated a description of his vehicle and license plate.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw mentioned a witness observed Routh “running out of the bushes” near the course and took a photo of Routh’s black Nissan and its license plate as he departed. The Secret Service later located a rifle, a backpack, and a GoPro camera attached to the fence near where Routh was seen by an agent conducting a security check ahead of Trump's arrival.
The new criminal complaint states that the license plate on Routh's Nissan SUV was reported stolen from a Ford truck.
Aronberg noted in a press conference Sunday afternoon that his office was preparing legal documents to detain Routh, but federal prosecutors later took over the case.
“We were working on some warrants and a motion for pretrial detention to ensure he stayed behind bars until the feds could get involved,” Aronberg explained on MSNBC. “After the press conference, they announced they were asserting jurisdiction. We stood down. That's pretty normal. They're better equipped to handle this….The feds are on top of this.”
Routh has an extensive criminal history in North Carolina, including a felony conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction stemming from a 2002 incident where he barricaded himself in a Greensboro business following a traffic stop. The weapon of mass destruction charge was linked to an illegal fully-automatic weapon in his possession, according to a report by the Greensboro News & Record.
In addition to this, Routh has been convicted of multiple felony counts of possession of stolen goods, as detailed in the criminal complaint filed Monday.
Routh also has connections to Hawaii, where he worked in construction and participated in initiatives to build housing for the homeless. A white pickup truck parked outside his home in Hawaii bears a Biden-Harris bumper sticker, and neighbors reported seeing a sign supporting Biden on his lawn.
Federal records reveal that Routh made small donations to Democratic candidates, but, in a 2020 tweet, he indicated he voted for Trump in 2016.
“While you were my choice…I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment [sic] and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” Routh wrote. That account now appears suspended.
In recent years, Routh was heavily involved in efforts to send fighters to Ukraine to aid in the country's defense against the Russian invasion. In 2022, he traveled to Ukraine and later authored a book titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War.” This self-published, 291-page text critiques President Joe Biden, but takes a particularly harsh stance toward Trump.
In a passage directed at the Iranian government, Routh seemed to suggest that Iran should assassinate Trump in response to his decision to withdraw from the deal established by the Obama administration to limit Iran’s nuclear program.
“I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake and Iran I apologize,” Routh wrote. “You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal.”
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
