A second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump became apparent on Sunday, September 15th, while he was at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The suspect is Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, from North Carolina. Officials say was seen in the bushes near the golf course, semi-automatic rifle in hand. On it there was a scope, with which he could shoot from 400 yards. CBS News reports he was arrested 50 miles away in a black Nissan after law enforcement had issued an alert on his license plate number. Routh did not resist while being detained. He later was charged with both possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
BBC states that Routh was also found to have been at the location for nearly 12 hours according to mobile phone records, equipped with a camera, two backpacks with ceramic tile, and his gun. Former President Trump recalls an agent had seen the barrel of an AK-47 and started firing into the bushes near the barrel.
“We got into the carts and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job” former president Trump said.
Trump later thanked his service agents, because of the “much better result” than the last shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe stated that Trump was “not even really supposed to go there,” and they had to put together a plan for his service at the last minute. Some people still blame the Secret Service for not being able to protect Trump, considering the rise of political threats, because of the two recent assassination attempts on former president Trump, and their inability to act as quicker than they have. Although they are normally stretched thin in terms of resources and men.
According to NBC News, more than 100 criminal charges have been filed against Routh in the state of North Carolina. These include one night in 2002 when he was charged with possessing a firearm, hit and run, obstructing a law enforcement officer, and driving with his license revoked.
Routh has also been known for speaking on his efforts to recruit people to fight with Ukraine against Russia.
