Suspects in what the FBI called the “attempt to kill” former President Donald Trump are the instigators of several reasons, according to an ABC News analysis of his social media profiles.
As authorities try to unravel the motive and details of the case, sources said investigators are ​​​​looking into whether Routh was frustrated by Trump’s position on Ukraine. Trump declined to answer when asked whether Ukraine should win a war against Russia during an ABC News presidential debate last week.
Authorities recovered an “AK-47-style” rifle with a scope, two backpacks – one of which had a ceramic tile in it – and a GoPro from the scene, said Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. The would-be gunman was within 300 to 500 yards of Trump when he was found. The former president was not injured in the incident and it is unclear whether the suspect fired the shots.
Ryan Wesley Routh in an image released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office after being arrested by authorities in Florida, September 15, 2024.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office
Routh’s vehicle was stopped by police after a witness reported the license plate number to authorities. He was arrested on Sunday afternoon. Authorities expect to file charges related to the incident in the coming days, sources told ABC News. The suspect’s motive is not yet known.
Routh is believed to have ties to North Carolina and Hawaii, according to sources. The FBI is conducting an extensive investigation into Routh’s social media activities, travel and criminal record, sources said. Friends, family and colleagues were also sought for interviews.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that profiles on X, LinkedIn, and Telegram are being investigated for possible connections to Routh. Routh also appears to have operated a Facebook page, which has since been deleted, and listed the same phone number shown on X’s visible profile.
When ABC News called the number, the answering machine message said: “This is Ryan with the Box Camp Building in Hawaii, and also the National Volunteer Center is sending soldiers to Ukraine as well as Taiwan.”
Online, he appears to be a supporter of many causes, especially from Ukraine, with many posts showing efforts to recruit soldiers for the country. Specifically, many of Routh’s posts mention efforts to send Afghan soldiers to Ukraine.
Ryan Wesley Routh attends a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
It was not immediately clear whether Routh was actually recruiting fighters for Ukraine or whether he had any contact with the Ukrainian military or government.
Routh’s visible X profile contained dozens of posts calling on politicians, celebrities and journalists to support Ukraine. In 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion of Russia, a post on his profile contained a claim that Routh had traveled to Kiev.
Routh spoke to the ABC News team in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on April 30, 2022 – two months after the war – at a protest held by family members of Azov Battalion soldiers defending the city of Mariupol against Moscow forces.
He wore an American flag bandana around his neck and held a handwritten sign that read: “Please the world we need everyone here. This is good against evil. These kids want a normal life… Stop Russia for the kids.”
Routh told The Financial Times that he had tried to join the Ukrainian International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine – which is made up of foreign volunteers – but had been rejected because of his age. Routh claimed the Legion then suggested he work to recruit more foreigners to serve in the unit.
The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine told ABC News via email: “We want to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity. Totally inaccurate.”
A March 2023 post on a LinkedIn profile that appeared to belong to Routh contained two undated photos of Routh, showing him in front of the US Congress and in Kyiv’s Independence Square. The post was captioned, “In DC and Kyiv to provide soldiers for the war effort.”
This screengrab taken from AFPTV on September 16, 2024 shows Ryan Wesley Routh speaking during an interview at a public meeting to ask foreign leaders and international organizations for help in providing a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen from Mariupol in the center of Kyiv on April 27, 2022. in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. US media named Ryan Wesley Routh, who was interviewed by AFP in Kyiv in 2022 where he traveled to support the war effort, as the suspected assassin of Donald Trump. (Photo by AFPTV / AFP) (Photo by -/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)
-/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images
On June 10, 2020, an X profile in which Routh appeared directed a post on X at Trump saying that he supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election but that Trump had become “disappointed”. The post concluded, “I’ll be glad you’re gone.”
Several of X’s posts in March 2020 mentioned his support for Democratic presidential primary candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. A post in January 2024 showed support for former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Facebook posts from October and November 2023 promote conspiracy theories about China, COVID-19 and biological warfare. In December, Routh was sent to the platform questioning the historical claim of the Jews for Israel.
Routh’s apparent phone number is also listed on a website called the “Taiwan Foreign Legion,” which calls for international volunteers to fight for Taiwan in the event of a conflict with China.
Routh’s latest post on his Facebook page also appears to indicate efforts to convince Taiwan to accept Afghan fighters.
ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Josh Margolin, Luke Barr, Aaron Katersky, Jack Date, Peter Charalambous, Alexander Mallin, Leah Sarnoff, Joe Simonetti, Helena Skinner and Zohreen Shah contributed to this report.
