Photo copyright: Collage BBC/Reuters
September 16, 2024
Gunshots rang out on the afternoon of September 15 near the golf club where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was playing golf. Trump was several hundred meters away from the scene of the shooting and was not injured, but the FBI said the incident “looks like an attempted assassination.”
“President Trump is safe,” campaign communications director Stephen Chung said.
At a press conference four hours after the incident, representatives of the FBI, Secret Service and local police said that a person who tried to flee in a car was detained near the Trump golf club, and an abandoned Kalashnikov type weapon was found in the bushes near the golf course.
According to a representative of the Secret Service, which protects presidents and ex-presidents, their agent noticed a barrel protruding from the bushes and immediately opened fire with colleagues.
The eyewitness then saw a person run from the bushes to a black Nissan, get into the car and drive away.
image captionPolice outside Trump’s Florida golf club where shots rang out
Police arrested the man on a highway in a neighboring county. According to the local police sheriff, the Secret Service agents’ bullets did not hit him.
An AK-47 assault rifle with an optical sight, two backpacks and a GoPro video camera were found in the bushes.
The participants of the press conference assured that Trump was safe all the time. They explained that when he plays golf, security always moves a hole or two ahead. In this case, the presidential candidate was several holes away, that is, several hundred meters from the shooting site.
image captionThe site of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
The sheriff of the county said that the suspect was quickly apprehended thanks to the help of a witness: he described the man and his car, a Nissan, to the police, and even remembered the license plate number.
Soon this car was spotted on the highway leading to nearby Martin County (Trump’s golf club is located in Palm Beach County).
Martin County police received this information, stopped the Nissan and arrested the fugitive.
After that, the witness was brought to Martin County and he identified the detainee.
Who is the suspect?
Table of Contents
- 1 Who is the suspect?
- 2 Reaction of Ukraine
- 3 Russia’s reaction
- 4 The reaction of the United States
- 5 The reaction of other world leaders
- 6 The conflict in Ukraine and criticizes various international responses to the situation. What are the details of Ryan Wesley Routh’s self-published book and its significance in relation to the assassination attempt?
Several leading American television companies and newspapers reported the name first: the detainee’s name is Ryan Wesley Routh, he is 58 years old and a resident of Hawaii.
William Snyder, the sheriff of Martin County, Florida, said that Rout was calm, almost emotionless, during his arrest.
“He never once asked what the matter was. Of course there were cops around with rifles, flashing lights, a lot of things going on — but he didn’t have any questions,” the sheriff said.
What is known about Ryan Wesley Routh?
Photo credit: Reuters
image captionRyan Rout supported Ukraine in the war against Russia according to reports on social media
The BBC Verify team found social media profiles matching the name, which indicated that Raut had encouraged foreign fighters to go to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces.
Raut, who had no military experience, told the New York Times in 2023 that he had come to Ukraine immediately after the Russian invasion in 2022 to help recruit recruits among groups of Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban.
“Soldiers, please don’t call me. We are still trying to get Ukraine to accept Afghan soldiers and hope to get some answers in the coming months… please be patient,” he wrote on Facebook in July.
photo caption The place where the suspect’s bag was found
At the same time, a spokesman for the International Territorial Defense Legion of Ukraine told the BBC that Ryan Wesley Rout had nothing to do with the unit.
“We would like to make it clear that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, affiliated with, or had anything to do with the International Legion. Any statement or suggestion to the contrary is completely inaccurate.” – said the spokesman.
Raut appears to have written a self-published book available on Amazon Kindle called Ukraine’s Unwinnable War.
There, Raut paints a pessimistic picture of the war in Ukraine, describing how he lived in the country for five months, but was not accepted into the International Legion due to his lack of combat experience.
He has never approached the combat zone, complains about the Ukrainian authorities and the Ukrainians themselves, because they allegedly do not show much respect for him and other foreigners.
The various projects he initiated—recruiting soldiers, boosting morale, and creating drones—failed or were shut down.
In his media appearances, Raut has described himself as an important player among Ukraine’s foreign supporters, but his own book shows that he was not well connected or respected in the country and eventually disillusioned.
Earlier reports indicated that Routh had a criminal history and, according to CBS sources, had been charged and convicted of numerous felonies, including carrying a concealed weapon.
In a conversation with American media, Raut’s son Oran described him as a “loving and caring father.”
Reaction of Ukraine
In Ukraine, they have already started talking about the work of Russian propaganda in search of “Ukrainian traces” of the suspect.
“Russia is using another attempt on Trump against Ukraine in the information field,” – yes commented situation Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for countering disinformation.
He noted that the mass media drew attention to the fact that Raut repeatedly visited Kyiv and supported Ukraine, as well as that he was associated with an organization that was engaged in the supply of weapons to Ukraine and Taiwan.
“Of course, all this is a lie. But an information confrontation is a component of war,” Kovalenko wrote.
Photo credit: Reuters
image captionRyan Routh, the suspect in the Florida assassination attempt on former US President Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi also reacted to the incident. He expressed his joy that Donald Trump was not injured and the suspect was quickly apprehended.
“Our principle: the rule of law is above all else, and political violence has no place anywhere in the world,” – wrote the president on his page in the X social network.
Russia’s reaction
In the morning, Russian TV channels really began to spread the message of the USA that the suspect in the attempt, Ryan Raut, is an ardent supporter of Ukraine and visited Kyiv in 2022.
“He actively supports Ukraine, previously went to Kyiv, tried to recruit mercenaries [для війни в Україні]”, – reported on “Russia 1”.
“Russia 24” called Raut a supporter of the “Zelenskyi regime” and “an ardent recruiter of mercenaries.”
NTV stated that Raut was “obsessed with the conflict in Ukraine and himself wanted to join nationalist units.”
Such sentiments were widely supported by pro-Kremlin online commentators.
The famous military blogger Borys Rozhin (with the nickname Colonelcassad) stated in his Telegram that Raut “was a big fan of Nazi Ukraine.”
The reaction of the United States
Senior politicians from both political parties in the US expressed relief that former President Donald Trump was not injured in the assassination attempt.
Shortly after the incident, Vice President Kamala Harris said she had been informed of shots fired near Trump.
“I’m glad he’s safe. Violence has no place in America,” she wrote on the X social network.
Harris’ partner, Tim Walz, echoed her sentiment, saying, “Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation.”
Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance said he spoke with Trump before news of the incident broke and that he was “surprisingly in good spirits.”
Photo credit: Reuters
image captionLaw enforcement officers are on the job following reports of shots fired near Donald Trump
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also said Trump was “in good spirits” and “more determined than ever to save our country.”
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the Secret Service for its swift response and said the perpetrator “must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
President Joe Biden also praised the work of the Secret Service and said that “there is no place in our country for political violence or any violence.”
The reaction of other world leaders
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “very concerned” by reports of a possible second attempt on Donald Trump’s life. As he prepared to meet his Italian counterpart in Rome, Kiir said there was “no place” for violence in politics.
Another message came from Rome from Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, an active supporter of Trump. “Trials, cruel [персони]fanatics and communists will not stop us. [Ми йдемо] forward with your head held high,” said the Italian vice-prime minister.
Photo credit: Reuters
image captionA policeman after reports of the shooting of Donald Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed “relief” at the news that Trump is safe. “We must not rely on luck,” added the Israeli leader and called for action ahead of time.
“We are praying for you, Mr. President!” – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom Trump has repeatedly praised in the past, reacted to the attack. According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, Trump will continue to be “in danger” until he returns to the White House.
The conflict in Ukraine and criticizes various international responses to the situation. What are the details of Ryan Wesley Routh’s self-published book and its significance in relation to the assassination attempt?
Apparent Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump: What We Know So Far
On September 15, 2024, a shocking incident occurred near the golf club where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was playing golf. Gunshots rang out, and an abandoned Kalashnikov-type weapon was found in the bushes near the golf course. Fortunately, Trump was several hundred meters away from the scene of the shooting and was not injured. The FBI has stated that the incident “looks like an attempted assassination.”
The Suspect: Ryan Wesley Routh
The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, a resident of Hawaii, was detained shortly after the incident. According to William Snyder, the sheriff of Martin County, Florida, Routh was calm and emotionless during his arrest. Snyder said, “He never once asked what the matter was. Of course, there were cops around with rifles, flashing lights, a lot of things going on — but he didn’t have any questions.” [[3]]
Routh’s Background
Routh has a connection to Ukraine, having encouraged foreign fighters to go to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces, according to social media reports. He had no military experience but traveled to Ukraine in 2022 to help recruit Afghan soldiers who had fled the Taliban. Routh wrote on Facebook in July, “Soldiers, please don’t call me. We are still trying to get Ukraine to accept Afghan soldiers and hope to get some answers in the coming months… please be patient.” [[1]]
However, a spokesman for the International Territorial Defense Legion of Ukraine denied any connection between Routh and the unit, stating that Routh had never been part of, affiliated with, or had anything to do with the International Legion. [[1]]
Routh has also written a self-published book available on Amazon Kindle called Ukraine’s Unwinnable War, in which he paints a pessimistic picture of
