FBI Reveals Why Donald Trump's Golf Resort Shooter Was On Their Radar Since 2019

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of gun violence that some readers may find distressing.

Ryan Wesley Routh, the lone gunman involved in the alleged assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, set up camp outside the Florida golf course for almost twelve hours before a Secret Service member foiled his plans. Routh was allegedly 300–500 yards away from Trump and carrying an AK-47-style firearm. Now, the FBI recently has confirmed that Routh was on their radar just a few years ago. "I can also share with you that he was the subject of a previously closed 2019 tip to the FBI, where it was alleged he was a felon in possession of a firearm," Special Agent, Jeffrey Veltri, stated during a press briefing.

"In following up on the tip, the alleged complainant interviewed, was interviewed and did not verify, I repeat, did not verify, providing the initial information... The FBI passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu," Veltri continued. According to the Daily Mail, public records list 'weapon law violations' and 'terrorist threats' from 2002 as part of Routh's North Carolina criminal history, including a three-hour police standoff in North Carolina. 

The construction worker was previously found guilty of having a weapon of mass destruction when he was 36 years old. He was taken into custody following a gun-wielding, high-speed escape from a traffic stop in Greensboro, during which he locked himself inside a nearby roofing company. Routh was charged with two crimes when he showed up in court on Monday—having a gun while being a felon and possessing a gun with its serial number removed. 

In the aftermath of the incident on Sunday, the FBI, Secret Service, and other federal and local authorities offered an update, stating that Routh acted as a 'lone wolf.' Apart from the loaded AK-47 Soviet-style weapon, an SKS, two bags, a GoPro, and ceramic-layered impenetrable body armor were left behind in the bushes near the Republican leader's golf club, as Route attempted to escape. "We do not have information that has been acting with anyone else in present," the Miami FBI Field Office's agent (Veltri) said. 

Furthermore, "The subject, who did not have a line of sight to the former president, fled the scene," Acting U.S. Secret Service Director, Ronald Rowe, stated. "He did not fire or get off any shots at our agent." After Route scrambled in a stolen black Nissan SUV, a witness provided the police with the license plate tag, which allowed them to identify and arrest him 50 miles from the club.

The event is being investigated as a second attempt on the former president's life in just two months. "We need to get out of a reactive model and get to a readiness model. There could be another geopolitical event that could put the United States into a kinetic conflict, or some other, some other issue that may result in additional responsibilities and protectees of the United States Secret Service," Rowe stated. "We don't have an alternative," he added, as per the New York Post. "Success– we have to have it every day. We cannot have failures. And to do that, we're going to have some hard conversations with Congress, and we're going to achieve that." 

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