Update 1:53 p.m. Monday: Ryan Wesley Routh appeared in court at 7:11 a.m. Monday morning “with no visible signs of nervousness.”
Routh is being charged with possession of a firearm despite a prior felony conviction and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He could face up to 15 years for the first charge and five years for the second.
Cell phone records show that Routh was at the golf course for around 12 hours, from about 1:59 a.m. until 1:31 p.m. on Sunday, according to the complaint filed by federal prosecutors.
According to authorities, the license plate on the Nissan SUV which Routh was arrested in belonged to a 2012 Ford truck which had been reported stolen.
“[Routh] did not have a line of sight to the former president,” U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr., who also confirmed he did not fire at Secret Service agents before leaving the scene, said.
Trump blames Biden and Harris for the spur of recent violence.
“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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The FBI is investigating a possible assassination attempt on former president and presidential candidate Donald Trump while at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday.
Trump said he is “safe and well” in a campaign email to supporters.
The suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, The Associated Press reports.
The gunman hid in shrubbery around 400 to 500 yards away from the course, using an AK-style rifle to aim at the former president. The Secret Service fired at the suspect, who then left the scene in an SUV. Routh was taken into custody in a nearby county.
The suspect is currently in custody and authorities are investigating and trying to find a motive.
No injuries were reported.
Trump was taken to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after the incident, AP News said.
Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been informed and briefed on the incident.
In a post on X, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, stated he spoke to Trump before the news went live and that he seems to be in good spirits.
If confirmed, this would be the second assassination attempt on Trump, with the last occurring during his Pennsylvania rally in July.
The Orion will continue to post updates as information is released.
Anthony Vasek can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].
