Suspect Arrested in Trump Assassination Attempt

Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old former roofing contractor from North Carolina, was arrested on September 15 in connection with an alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Routh had previously expressed a strong desire to fight in Ukraine, sharing violent rhetoric on social media and attempting to recruit Afghan soldiers to join the Ukrainian war effort, despite having no military experience. He detailed plans to illegally smuggle these recruits from Pakistan and Iran, citing corruption as a means to obtain fraudulent passports. Routh's disillusionment grew during his time in Ukraine, where he spent several months in 2022 trying to assist the conflict, leading him to express disappointment in the world’s response to the war. The FBI flagged his extremist online statements, which included a chilling declaration of his willingness to die in combat. Authorities have not formally charged him yet, but evidence includes his possession of an AK-47 rifle near Trump's golf club.