Before arrest near golf course
Ryan Wesley Routh wrote Trump assassination letter
23.09.2024, 22:06
With “Hello World,” Ryan Wesley Routh addresses everyone on the planet in an impressive letter – and describes Donald Trump’s misdeeds. Months later, he actually lies in wait for him – and is arrested. He will remain behind bars for the time being, a court has now decided.
The suspect arrested for an alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump apparently wrote a letter a few months ago in which he described an attempted assassination of the former president. According to the Florida prosecutor’s office, 58-year-old Ryan Routh deposited a box containing ammunition, a metal pipe, building materials, cell phones and several letters with an unnamed person “a few months ago”.
After the 58-year-old was arrested on September 15 in Florida, the person apparently opened the box and discovered a letter addressed to “the world” inside. “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed,” the letter said, according to investigators.
He continued: “I have tried my best and given it my all (…) It is now up to you to do the job; and I am offering $150,000 to whoever can finish it.” It was not clear what the author was referring to and whether he may have written the letter in anticipation of a planned assassination attempt.
Moral criticism of Trump
By publishing the letter and other investigative findings on the case, the public prosecutor’s office wanted to ensure that the 58-year-old remained in custody until further notice. According to US media, a court agreed to the prosecution’s request and justified this with the evidence. Ryan Wesley Routh is accused of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obscured serial number. It is expected that further charges will be brought against him.
According to investigators, Routh was hiding with a rifle on the edge of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach on September 15 while the former president was playing golf there. A Secret Service officer spotted the man and opened fire. Routh initially managed to escape, but was later arrested.
In his letter, which has now been made public, he also launches into moral criticism of the former president: “Everyone on the planet, from young to old, knows that Trump is not fit to be anything, least of all a US president. US presidents must, as a minimum standard, embody the moral structure that is America, and be kind and caring and always stand up for humanity.” The next sentence, which is no longer completely legible in the photograph of the letter published by US authorities, continues: “Trump fails to understand anything about …”