Ryan Wesley Routh was investigated over a 2019 tip to the FBI about him owning a firearm despite being a convicted felon, the FBI announced during a Monday press conference.
Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri, the head of Miami’s FBI field office, said the report came in while Routh was living in Hawaii.
However, the agency was not able to verify the claims against Routh.
“In following up on the tip, the alleged complainant was interviewed and did not verify providing the initial information,” Veltri said. “The FBI passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu.”
Routh, 58, was arrested on Sunday after he was spotted 400-500 yards away from Donald Trump, who was golfing at his course in Palm Beach, Florida.
He was apprehended after a Secret Service agent noticed a muzzle of a gun poking through a fence and fired at the would-be assassain.
Here’s what we know about the assassination attempt on Trump in Florida:
- Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15, 2024.
- Trump sent out a statement to supporters soon after to report that he was “SAFE AND WELL.”
- The suspect — identified as Ryan Routh, 58, of Hawaii — was able to get within 300 to 500 yards of Trump at a chain link fence on the edge of the course, where he had an AK-47 and a GoPro camera set up, apparently to record the planned shooting.
- Routh has a history of supporting progressive causes online and has made 19 donations to Democratic candidates since 2019.
- A Secret Service agent spotted and opened fire on Routh as he put his gun through the fence. The suspect fled and was arrested on I-95 a short time later.
- According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Trump’s security detail was lighter because he isn’t a sitting president — despite the previous attempt on his life in July.
Routh was arrested after a brief police pursuit and was hit with federal gun charges on Monday while appearing to smile in court.