A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, for attempting to kill former President Donald J. Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.
“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop.”
“This alleged attempted assassination of the former President at his golf course was a direct attack on our democracy. Political violence has no place in this country — not then, not now, not ever,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The charges today reflect the Department’s continued resolve to deploy every available resource to ensure public officials remain safe and to hold accountable those who target public officials to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, which strikes at the very heart of our democratic system,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is continuing our investigation into this alleged plot and will use the full weight and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach. In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence.”
According to allegations in a complaint affidavit and a factual proffer filed with the court, former President Trump was golfing at Trump International on Sept. 15 when a Secret Service agent saw Routh's partially obscured face in the brush along the fence line near the sixth hole. The agent observed a rifle barrel aimed directly at him and fired at Routh after seeing him move.
A witness reported seeing Routh running from the golf course and getting into a black Nissan Xterra. Based on this information, officers from Martin County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Routh heading northbound on I-95.
Court documents state that FBI agents found an SKS semiautomatic rifle with an obliterated serial number where Routh had been hiding. A backpack containing plates capable of stopping small arms fire was also found hanging from a fence.
Documents filed with the court reveal that FBI agents discovered a handwritten list of dates and venues related to Trump's appearances among other items found in Routh's possession. Cell phone records indicated that Routh’s phone accessed cell towers near Trump International and Mar-a-Lago multiple times between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15.
A civilian witness told law enforcement that Routh had left a box containing a letter addressed "Dear World" months ago, which included an apology for failing in an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Routh faces charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer (a Secret Service Agent), felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He remains in federal custody pending trial following his detention hearing on Sept. 23.
Court records indicate that Routh was previously convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010.
The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from other agencies including ATF and U.S. Secret Service.
An indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.