Suspected Trump gunman had ‘bizarre social media posts’
- Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh is currently detained
- The suspect carried an AK-47, two backpacks and GoPro, authorities say
- State attorney: Suspect will initially be charged at the state level
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(NewsNation) — The suspect in an alleged second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump is expected to face serious federal charges, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said Sunday.
Aronberg told NewsNation that the suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was not previously on local law enforcement’s radar. Routh, who has ties to North Carolina and Hawaii, had made “bizarre” social media posts about Ukraine before the incident.
Aronberg said the suspect will initially be charged at the state level but could also be charged with federal crimes.
Federal authorities have taken over the case, with Aronberg’s office standing down. The state attorney anticipates Routh will face charges related to domestic terrorism and weapons offenses, though specific charges have not been announced.
The FBI says Trump was the subject of “an apparent assassination attempt” Sunday at his Florida golf club.
U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing, according to two law enforcement officials.
Aronberg praised the agents’ quick response, saying they fired the only shots during the encounter.
No injuries were reported. An AK-style firearm was recovered near Trump’s golf course where shots were fired, two law enforcement officials told AP.
The person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county by local law enforcement, the officials said. The man was unarmed when taken into custody, officials said.
Aronberg said the suspect’s flight from the shooting scene indicates he knew right from wrong, potentially complicating any insanity defense.
Aronberg expects Routh to be held without bond, given the severity of the allegations.
“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said in a news conference earlier in the day. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”
The incident comes roughly two months after an assassination attempt on Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
