The suspected gunman in the apparent assassination attempt of former US President Donald Trump has appeared before a court in Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is charged wit federal gun crimes – possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number
Routh was hiding on the edge of Trump’s Florida golf course for nearly 12 hours, court documents show
Trump was unharmed after a gunman was spotted ahead of where the former president was playing golf on Sunday – it is the second apparent attempt on his life in two months
It has led to questions about the safety of US presidential candidates – with some lawmakers calling for candidates to have additional security
US President Joe Biden says the Secret Service needs more help and may need extra personnel.
At the annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference in Philadelphia, Biden paid tribute to the Secret Service for its “handling” of the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump at the weekend – saying agents kept the former president safe.
“Let me just say, there is no… no place for political violence in America,” he says to applause. “None, zero, never.”
“In America we resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box, not at the barrel of a gun.”
He adds that Americans have “suffered too many times at the tragedy of an assassin’s bullet”, telling attendees “it solves nothing.
The day after the apparent assassination attempt in Florida, Donald Trump toook to the social media and pointed the finger directly at his Democratic opponents.
“Because of the communist left rhetoric,” he wrote, “the bullets are flying and it will only get worse!”
In comments earlier, he explicitly blamed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who he went on to say was an “enemy within” who was destroying the country.
Those remarks represent a marked shift from the president’s more reflective attitude after his near-miss with an assassin’s bullet two months ago, on the eve of the Republican National Convention.
Back then, the former president was leading in the polls and Democrats were in turmoil. Now, the race has tightened considerably and the pressure of the home stretch to election day is building.
In his comments Monday, Trump has tried to link this latest incident to the threat he says undocumented migration poses to the nation. It is an unfounded connection, but one that would allow him to turn the political conversation toward a topic where his views have popular support.
If the foiled attempt has put Trump in the spotlight this week, he seems intent on using it to his political advantage.
There’s been a lot of speculation online about Ryan Routh’s political leanings and in particular his alleged links to Ukraine.
Here’s what we know so far – Ryan Routh spent some time in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. We’ve put pictures he posted on his own social media accounts through a facial recognition tool and identified him attending at least one event in Kyiv in support of Ukraine.
A blog post about the war published at the time also identified Routh as “an American in his 50s who left his family and job behind to volunteer in Ukraine”, along with a picture that bears a strong resemblance to him.
Speaking to Newsweek Romania in 2022,, external Routh said he first came to Ukraine to fight, but was rejected due to his age – then 56 – and lack of combat experience.
He then stayed to help get donations and attract volunteers. Routh told Newsweek that he was working with the International Legion – a Ukrainian military unit that is comprised of foreign volunteers.
However, the Legion told the BBC that “Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity… Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate.”
Reported by BBC
