The suspect in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump reportedly set up a sniper's nest at the scene and hid in it for about 12 hours before being discovered early Sunday afternoon.
Federal prosecutor said The suspect was identified Monday as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, and had been hiding out there about 12 hours before the incident. New York Post Report:
“According to the federal criminal complaint, Routh's cellphone had been ringing at a point on the edge of Trump International West Palm Beach since 1:59 a.m. Sunday,” the article noted. “Secret Service agents found the barrel of his gun around 1:30 p.m. while Trump was on the golf course about 300 to 500 yards away.”
Agents later found a digital camera, several bags, and a loaded SKS rifle in his hiding place. Shortly after Secret Service agents opened fire on the suspect, he fled the scene in a vehicle with stolen license plates, but was eventually apprehended on I-95.
C-SPAN
The second assassination attempt came while Trump was playing on his golf course. The first came in July as Trump was addressing a crowd at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet struck him in the right ear and left his face covered in blood.
In federal court on Monday, Routh was charged with felony possession of a firearm, Breitbart News reported.
“Prosecutors filed two charges against him: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number,” ABC 11 reported.
The felony charge stems from an incident in 2002 in which Routh barricaded himself in a home and engaged in a standoff with police. Greensboro News & Record Once the standoff was over, Routh was arrested and “charged with carrying a concealed weapon, referring to a fully automatic machine gun, and possession of a weapon of mass destruction,” it noted.
On Sunday, President Trump thanked those who care about him and also offered his thanks to law enforcement following the second assassination attempt, according to Breitbart News.
“Thank you all for your concern and encouragement. It's been a really interesting day!” he wrote on Truth Social.
“Most importantly, I want to thank the United States Secret Service, Sheriff Rick Bradshaw and his brave and dedicated Patriot Office, and all law enforcement agencies for the great job they did today at Trump International to keep me, the 45th President of the United States and the Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential election, safe,” he added.
