The tree-lined paths at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, have long been a prime spot for photographers hoping to catch a glimpse of former presidents and other dignitaries.
Still, the suspected assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, was able to camp there for nearly 12 hours Sunday with his rifle pointed at the course, according to a federal affidavit.
He even brought snacks with him, prosecutors said.
Secret Service agents patrolling the border eventually found the gunman and opened fire, driving him away before anyone was injured, but local officials say increased border patrols would be a clear step up in security if Donald Trump comes to town.
Trump assassination suspect Ryan Routh hid under cover of darkness for 12 hours: court documents
Then-President Trump plays golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 30, 2020. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
President Trump is known to frequently visit the course while staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which is just a 15-minute drive away, and while the visit was not on the president's schedule, anyone monitoring the area would have noticed his arrival via the presidential motorcade.
Trump assassin suspect laughs and smiles at first court appearance in Florida
WATCH: Palm Beach County State's Attorney Dave Aronberg speaks to Fox Digital about known security concerns at Trump's golf courses
“We've had people take pictures of former presidents while they're golfing,” said Dave Aronberg, state's attorney for the 15th Judicial District, which covers Palm Beach County. “They went through the shrubs and stuck a camera through a fence. You'd think someone would consider spying on the perimeter.”
Then-President Trump plays golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 30, 2020. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
Photographers regularly announce their presence to the Secret Service and have a good idea of where they can get visibility. New York Post They are rarely asked to leave, an anonymous photo agency source told the paper, according to the report.
Meanwhile, sources speculated that the fear of encountering cameramen may have influenced the placement of the suspects in remote parts of the border where visibility was actually poor.
Authorities say he did not have a chance to see the former president, unlike the more recent attempted assassin, Thomas Crooks, who opened fire on a crowd at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, grazed Trump's ear, killing one passerby and wounding two others.
This photo shows gaps in the vegetation that have developed around the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 16, 2024. (Mega from Fox News Digital)
Aronberg said he didn't blame the Secret Service, noting that the course covered a large area between two major highways.
“There's a lot of area to cover,” he said. “It's not easy to just walk around all the time because someone might sneak in and slip out.”
Pat Diaz, a former Miami-Dade County homicide detective who now works as a private investigator in the area, said a police dog search of the fence area should have been routinely conducted before the president's arrival, even if it was unplanned.
Trump assassin suspect laughs and smiles at first court appearance in Florida
“Obviously they didn't check the exterior,” he said.
Ryan Routh, the suspect in plotting to assassinate former President Trump at a golf course in West Palm Beach, is seen handcuffed after being arrested for a traffic violation near Palm City, Florida, on September 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office/Distributed via Reuters)
In addition to photographers, homeless people have also been caught loitering along the fence, he said, and he welcomed Gov. Ron DeSantis' announcement that he would be doing a new state-level review of safety on the course.
Witnesses saw Trump assassin suspect fleeing bushes, took photos of getaway car
According to the FBI, cellphone ringtones indicated Routh arrived at the treeline around 2 a.m. Sunday and hid there until agents found him around 1:30 p.m. He was reportedly carrying a bag of food, a video camera and an SKS rifle with a scope.
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department vehicle parks outside Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on September 16, 2024. (Mega from Fox News Digital)
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Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Lowe praised his agents at a press conference on Monday, telling reporters that Trump's security forces acted “by the book.”
“Critical to this has been the rapid reaction, response and hyper-vigilance of the men and women of the United States Secret Service who have stepped up since July 13 to address an unprecedented and highly dynamic threat environment,” he said, “and they are stepping up again at this very moment.”
This photo shows gaps in the vegetation that have developed around the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 16, 2024. (Mega from Fox News Digital)
Trump's whereabouts while golfing were “not disclosed,” and he was on another hole a few hundred yards away when agents opened fire.
Witnesses provided a description of the suspect and the Nissan SUV, and authorities said their accounts helped lead to Routh's arrest about 45 minutes later on Interstate 95.
Routh's criminal history included multiple felonies, including a 2002 conviction for possessing a weapon of mass destruction after a standoff with police in North Carolina.
The FBI said it received information in 2019 that he may be a felon in possession of a firearm.
