What we know about the suspect in Trump assassination attempt

Former President Donald Trump was rushed to safety on Sunday after what the FBI called an apparent assassination attempt at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach.

The incident comes almost exactly two months after a shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left Trump wounded and one supporter dead.

Details are still emerging from the latest incident and about the suspect, named by US media as Ryan Routh. Here is what we know so far.

The incident unfolded at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, about 15 minutes from Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.

The gunman was first seen by Secret Service agents, who were sweeping the course ahead of the former president as he played. The agents usually go one hole ahead to perform security checks, according to police.

The muzzle of a rifle - initially described as an AK-47-style rifle by County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw - was spotted sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course. At the time Trump was about 300-500 yards (272-557m) away from the gunman, he said.

An agent “immediately engaged” with the person holding the rifle, who fled, Sheriff Bradshaw said.

“The Secret Service did exactly what should have been done.’

Agents opened fire when they spotted the gunman and fired four to five rounds of ammunition.

The suspect dropped the rifle and fled in a vehicle, abandoning the weapon along with two knapsacks, a scope used for aiming a weapon and a GoPro camera, Sheriff Bradshaw said.

A witness saw the man flee from the shrubbery to a black Nissan, the sheriff said. The witness captured a photo of the car and provided it to law enforcement.

The suspect was apprehended by police driving northbound on the I-95 highway after crossing into Martin County, roughly 61km (38 miles) from Trump’s golf course.

Several law enforcement sources have confirmed that the suspect’s name is Ryan Wesley Routh.

Speaking to US media, Mr Routh’s son, Oran, described him as a “loving and caring father”.

“I don’t know what has happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent,” Oran said in a statement to CNN.

BBC Verify has found social media profiles matching that name. They indicate that Routh called for foreign fighters to go to Ukraine to battle against Russian forces.
There are also pro-Palestinian, pro-Taiwan and anti-China messages on his profile, including allegations about Chinese “biological warfare” and references to the Covid-19 virus as an “attack”.

Mr Routh, who had no military experience, told the New York Times in 2023 he had travelled to Ukraine immediately after Russia’s invasion in 2022 to find military recruits among Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban.

He seems to have been involved in recruitment efforts as recently as this summer, writing on Facebook in July: “Soldiers, please do not call me. We are still trying to get Ukraine to accept Afghan soldiers and hope to have some answers in the coming months... please have patience.”

Early reporting suggests Mr Routh had a criminal record. According to CBS sources, Ryan Routh was charged and convicted of numerous felony offences in Guilford County in North Carolina between 2002 and 2010.

The offences include including carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest by a police officer, driving with a revoked licence, possession of stolen property and hit and run with a motor vehicle.

(With inputs from BBC)