Here’s what we know about the suspect in Trump’s apparent attempted assassination

This screengrab taken from AFPTV connected Monday shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking astatine a rally to impulse overseas leaders and world organizations to thief supply humanitarian corridors to evacuate Ukrainians from Mariupol successful April 2022. (AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)

The man arrested successful relationship pinch what nan FBI is calling an evident attempted assassination of erstwhile President Donald Trump has a lengthy criminal grounds and caller fixation connected world politics, peculiarly Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine.

The suspect, whom section officials identified arsenic Ryan Wesley Routh, was taken into custody connected Sunday day connected Interstate 95 adjacent West Palm Beach, Fla., aft what authorities opportunity was perchance an effort connected Trump’s life astatine his play nine — nan second that Trump has survived successful nan past 9 weeks.

Local authorities said a U.S. Secret Service supplier who was stationed 1 spread up of Trump connected nan Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach spotted an AK-style firearm sticking retired of a fence. The fishy holding nan firearm was hiding successful nan shrubbery immoderate 300 to 500 yards distant from nan Republican statesmanlike nominee.

It’s not clear whether Routh fired immoderate shots, but nan supplier opened occurrence connected him. He took disconnected successful a achromatic Nissan, which authorities located connected nan road a short while later, acknowledgment to an eyewitness tip.

Routh has been charged pinch possession of a firearm arsenic a convicted felon and possession of a firearm pinch an obliterated serial number.

In his first quality successful a West Palm Beach national courtroom Monday morning, Routh — wearing a navy bluish situation jumpsuit and shackles — appeared subdued, respectful and successful bully spirits. He could beryllium seen laughing astatine times pinch his national nationalist defender.

The judge told Routh he qualified for a national nationalist defender because “you person small aliases nary assets.” Routh said he has zero costs and nary savings and reported making an income of $3,000 a week, but didn’t specify nan source. He said he owns 2 trucks successful Hawaii and helps support his 25-year-old son.

Routh will stay successful custody until his arraignment connected Sept. 30.

Public records, societal media posts and erstwhile interviews person painted a image of nan 58-year-old arsenic a vocal supporter-turned-critic of Trump who was passionate astir defending Ukraine successful its warfare pinch Russia and moreover traveled to nan beforehand lines successful nan hopes of taking up nan fight.

Here’s what we cognize astir him truthful far.

He has a criminal grounds making love backmost decades

Routh spent astir of his adulthood successful North Carolina, earlier moving to Hawaii successful caller years.

He graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University pinch a mechanical engineering grade successful 1998, according to his LinkedIn page.

Records from nan North Carolina Department of Adult Correction uncover Routh’s agelong history of trouble pinch nan law, including a 2002 condemnation connected a felony complaint of possessing a limb of wide destruction.

A December 2002 communicative successful nan Greensboro News and Record recounts an incident successful which Routh was pulled complete during a postulation extremity connected a Sunday night. He “put his manus connected a firearm” and drove to his roofing business, wherever he barricaded himself wrong for 3 hours. The weapons of wide demolition complaint pertained to a “fully automatic instrumentality gun,” it reported.

Routh was charged pinch respective different misdemeanors and felonies betwixt 2001 and 2010, including a hit-and-run offense, carrying a concealed limb and possessing stolen goods.

Separately, North Carolina judicial records database Routh arsenic nan suspect successful complete half a twelve tribunal cases betwixt 1991 and 2016, including taxation delinquencies and bad checks.

Routh wrote connected his LinkedIn page that he had “passed on immoderate meager remnants of myself successful North Carolina and relocated to Oahu.” He has lived and worked successful Hawaii since 2018, according to nan Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Law enforcement sources told nan newspaper that Honolulu constabulary person records of 4 interactions pinch Routh: 2 successful 2019 — including an incident wherever he and 2 others allegedly squatted connected spot — and different 2 successful 2021, erstwhile Routh reported being assaulted by a resident whose location he was moving connected arsenic a handyman.

Routh describes himself arsenic nan proprietor of Camp Box Honolulu, a institution that builds portable retention units and mini homes.

“We cannot beryllium idle, arsenic immoderate of our friends and neighbors astir america struggle, erstwhile we ourselves are smart capable to create our ain solutions to our ain problems,” nan website reads. “Using communal consciousness and American ingenuity and nan resources that we have, together we tin create our ain happy places.”

He erstwhile supported Trump, but precocious donated to Democrats

North Carolina voting records database Routh arsenic unaffiliated pinch immoderate party, though they besides show that he voted successful personification successful nan Democratic superior predetermination successful March 2024.

He is besides listed arsenic having voted successful nan wide elections successful 2008 and 2012, and municipal elections successful 2009.

Routh has a history of donating to governmental causes, arsenic Federal Election Commission records show. He donated to nan Democratic fundraising level ActBlue astir 20 times — successful amounts ranging from $1 to $25 — betwixt September 2019 and March 2020.

Routh appears to person voted for Trump successful 2016, but became a vocal professional of nan erstwhile president successful caller years, according to posts connected his societal media accounts, which person since been taken down.

CNN reports that he tweeted successful 2020: “I and nan world hoped that president Trump would beryllium different and amended than nan candidate, but we each were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving. I will beryllium gladsome erstwhile you gone.”

Routh besides weighed successful aft Trump survived an assassination effort astatine a Pennsylvania rally successful July, urging President Biden and Vice President Harris to sojourn those who had been injured arsenic “Trump will ne'er do thing for them.”

Routh besides referenced his erstwhile support for Trump successful his 2023 self-published book, successful which he referred to nan Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection arsenic a “catastrophe … perpetrated by Donald Trump and his undemocratic posse.”

According to CNN, Routh wrote that he must return portion of nan blasted for electing Trump arsenic president, “but I americium man capable to opportunity that I misjudged and made a unspeakable mistake.”

Routh’s 291-page book, Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and nan Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and nan extremity of Humanity, covers a taxable that seems to person consumed Routh successful caller years.

Routh is an avid protagonist of Ukraine’s defense

Routh has expressed beardown support for Ukraine successful nan aftermath of Russia’s full-fledged penetration successful early 2022, and seemed to beryllium connected a ngo to get foreigners — himself included — to nan beforehand lines.

“I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE…Can I beryllium nan illustration We must win,” Routh wrote connected X successful March 2022, per CNN.

Routh traveled to nan superior of Kyiv that year, but was told — fixed his property and deficiency of subject acquisition — that he was “not an perfect candidate,” arsenic he told Newsweek Romania successful 2022.

“So scheme B was to travel present to Kyiv and beforehand getting much group here,” he said.

Since then, he has utilized societal media to promote and effort to enlistee foreigners to conflict successful Ukraine, and has spoken astir those efforts successful respective societal media interviews.

Routh told The New York Times successful March 2023 that he was seeking recruits among Afghan soldiers who fled nan Taliban, aiming to acquisition passports done Pakistan (“since it’s specified a corrupt country”) and move them — successful immoderate cases illegally — into Ukraine from Pakistan and Iran. The Times described Routh arsenic a “former building worker from Greensboro, N.C. … who spent respective months successful Ukraine past year.”

That aforesaid month, he complained to Semafor astir nan Ukrainian government’s deficiency of support, saying it was being overly rigid astir admitting overseas soldiers, particularly from Afghanistan, complete concerns that they mightiness beryllium Russian spies.

“I person had partners gathering pinch [Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense] each week and still person not been capable to get them to work together to rumor 1 azygous visa,” said Routh, who was identified arsenic nan caput of nan International Volunteer Center successful Ukraine — “a backstage statement which helps foreigners seeking to assistance nan warfare effort link pinch subject units and assistance groups.”

A typical from Ukraine’s overseas legion told CNN that Routh had reached retired to them respective times online, but “was ne'er portion of nan Legion and didn’t cooperate pinch america successful immoderate way.”

“The champion measurement to picture his messages is — illusion ideas,” said Oleksandr Shaguri, an serviceman of nan Foreigners Coordination Department of nan Land Forces Command. “He was offering america ample numbers of recruits from different countries but it was evident to america his offers were not realistic. We didn’t moreover answer, location was thing to reply to.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned nan evident assassination effort successful a tweet connected Monday, saying “political unit has nary spot anyplace successful nan world.”

When asked astir nan incident connected Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it shows that “playing pinch fire” has consequences — an evident reference to U.S. support of Ukraine.

Routh’s family has defended him

One of Routh’s sons, Adam, told Reuters instantly aft nan incident that it was not thing he believed his dada would do.

Another, Oran, told CNN that it’s not for illustration his begetter “to do thing crazy, overmuch little violent.”

“I don’t person immoderate remark beyond a characteristic floor plan of him arsenic a loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man,” Oran Routh said successful a statement.

He besides told nan Daily Mail that his dada hates Trump, but stressed that he is not a convulsive personification and said he’s ne'er known him to ain a gun. The Daily Mail reports that Routh hung up to find retired what had happened, and followed up later complete text.

“I dislike this crippled each 4 years, and deliberation that we each do, and if my begetter wants to beryllium a martyr to really surgery and disassociated nan process has go from nan existent problems and applicable solutions, past that’s his choice,” he wrote.