The individual who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course was convicted by a jury on all charges, leading him to try to stab himself in the neck with a pen in court, while his daughter cried out.
Ryan Routh’s name and photos surfaced extensively last year after he aimed a rifle through the bushes at Trump’s country club in West Palm Beach. He was confronted and shot at by a Secret Service agent before Trump, who was then a presidential candidate, came into sight.
Concerns about Routh’s unstable and sometimes aggressive conduct had been noted in previous years. He had also been spotlighted by media in Ukraine as a self-proclaimed mercenary leader looking to recruit soldiers.
The federal court jury found Routh guilty on five counts, including the attempted murder of a presidential candidate and several firearm-related offenses. He is facing a life sentence, with sentencing set for December 18.
In court, Routh had argued that he was not guilty and that “it’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled. ”
Here’s what we know about Routh, his assassination attempt and his conviction Tuesday.
Routh was convicted of attempted assassination and other charges
Following Routh’s two-week trial, where he represented himself, the jury took two hours to deliberate and found him guilty on all charges related to his detailed plan to assassinate Trump, according to prosecutors.
On September 15, 2024, a Secret Service agent noticed Routh’s gun emerging from the bushes, preventing Trump from coming into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, prompting the agent to shoot, causing Routh to drop his gun and flee without firing. He was eventually captured by law enforcement while trying to escape by car.
Along with being found guilty of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, Routh was convicted of assaulting a federal officer, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, with an obliterated serial number and in furtherance of a crime.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday in New York, Trump said the case was “really well handled.”
What we know about Routh
Routh was a North Carolina construction worker who’d recently moved to Hawaii. He had spent time in Ukraine where he said he was trying to recruit foreign soldiers, including from Afghanistan, to fight the Russians.
Photos posted online showed him in tactical vests and holding a sign in Ukraine beseeching people to help in the fight. Those who interacted with him in Ukraine say there were early signs of someone off-kilter.
Routh also created a self-published a book in 2023 called “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” where he wrote in reference to Iran that “You are free to assassinate Trump.”
What was Routh’s motive?
It’s unclear. In court, Routh told jurors in his closing arguments that he didn’t intend to kill anyone that day though the jury found him guilty of trying to assassinate the now president.
Routh was candid about his political views in his book, writing of what he called the wisdom in changing history with a well-timed killing of a world leader.
While Routh voted for Trump in 2016, he described the Republican leader in his book as a “buffoon” and “fool” in reference to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and for seeking a negotiated settlement in the war in Ukraine.
Prior warnings about Routh
Chelsea Walsh, who worked in Kyiv as a nurse and met Routh, said the man didn’t appear to be successful in his recruitment and gradually became more unhinged. At one point, Walsh said, the man kicked a panhandler and on another occasion threatened to burn down a music studio that had offended him.
Walsh also said Routh spoke obsessively of a plot to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, which included what Routh described as various explosives and cross-border maneuvers.
She said she reported her concerns to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials along with the FBI and to the international policing group Interpol, but said she never heard back about her tips.
The agencies involved previously told The Associated Press that they had no record of such a report, had questions about whether the report warranted further investigation or didn’t response to AP inquiries.
Routh tried to stab himself with a pen in court
After the verdict was read out and the jurors were leaving the courtroom, Routh grabbed a pen and tried to stab his neck.
Inside court, his daughter, Sara Routh, screamed “Dad, I love you, don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.”
The marshals swarmed Routh, picked him up and dragged him out of the courtroom.
Routh was later brought back into the courtroom with shackles, changed out of his jacket and tie.
The pen Routh had grabbed was flexible, designed against being used as a weapon, so it didn’t hurt him, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person could not publicly disclose specific details of the incident and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Recent political violence rocks the country
Routh’s case is one of several recent attempts on political figures’ lives that have shaken U.S. politics, precipitating debates on what has changed and what comes next.
Trump’s ear was nicked by a gunman’s bullet at a Pennsylvania campaign rally two months before Routh’s attempt. A Minnesota state lawmaker was killed in her home. And conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event at a university in Utah earlier this month.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Routh’s guilty verdict “illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.”
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