The suspect in what the FBI has called an “attempted assassination” of former President Donald Trump had a lengthy criminal record, court documents show, and was a booster of a number of causes, including the war in Ukraine, an ABC News analysis of his apparent social media profiles shows.
As authorities try to unravel the motive and details of the case, sources said investigators were looking at whether Ryan Wesley Routh was frustrated with Trump’s position on Ukraine. Trump refused to answer when asked if Ukraine should win its war against Russia during the ABC News presidential debate last week.
Authorities recovered a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope, two backpacks — one of which had a ceramic tile in it — and a GoPro from the scene, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The would-be gunman was within 300 to 500 yards of Trump when he was spotted. The serial number on the rifle “was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye,” the criminal complaint states.
The former president was unharmed in the incident, and Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said in a briefing Monday the suspect did not fire any shots