Shocking new details about the failed assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump

VOV.VN - According to new documents released by federal prosecutors on September 23, suspect Ryan Wesley Routh left a letter stating his intention to assassinate former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida in the middle of this month.

During a hearing on September 23, prosecutors said that suspect Ryan Wesley Routh left a letter saying he intended to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The letter was placed in a box that was dropped off at the home of an unidentified person. The box also contained “ammunition, a metal pipe, construction materials, tools, four telephones, and other letters.”

The man contacted law enforcement officials after learning about the assassination of the former president at a golf course in Florida on September 15.

Letter from suspect Ryan Wesley Routh. Photo: US Department of Justice

The letter, addressed to “ The World, ” read: “This is an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump and I have failed you. I have tried my best and given my all. Now, you have to finish the job; and I will pay $150,000 to anyone who can finish the job.” Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with two weapons offenses last week after allegedly fleeing from Trump International Golf Club. More charges could be filed as the investigation continues. “The evidence against the defendant is clear and compelling,” Judge Ryon McCabe said at the end of a nearly three-hour hearing on Sept. 23. Judge McCabe cited a letter Routh wrote about the assassination attempt as well as other evidence presented by prosecutors, including fingerprints belonging to Routh on tape used to attach a scope to a rifle found outside the golf course. Prosecutors said a Secret Service agent opened fire on Routh after spotting a rifle protruding from a tree line near where Trump was golfing on September 15. A witness later saw Routh running from the scene and driving away.

“Easy shot”

During the hearing, prosecutor Mark Dispoto said Routh came to West Palm Beach “for one reason only, to assassinate the former President of the United States.” Cell phone records showed that the suspect waited nearly 12 hours at the golf course before the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump.

The FBI and the US Secret Service investigate the scene of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Florida on September 15. Photo: Getty

Routh had a clear shooting position from the chain-link fence that surrounds Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump was about 12 to 15 minutes from the sixth hole, and Routh’s line of sight was completely unobstructed, about 300 yards from his target. “It was an easy shot,” Dispoto said. Routh’s setup, which included bags hanging from the fence with internal armor plates designed to withstand shots from the handguns that Secret Service agents carry, was “nothing short of a sniper position,” Dispoto said.

Suspect had list of Trump's destinations

Prosecutors said Routh had been lurking around the former president’s Mar-a-Lago golf course and estate for days over the course of about a month before his arrest on September 15. Routh also had a handwritten list of times and places where Trump had been or was expected to be in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Routh traveled from North Carolina to West Palm Beach on August 14. Cellphone records showed he was near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and golf course “multiple days and multiple times” between August 18 and September 15. During a search of Routh’s vehicle, investigators found six cellphones, one of which contained a Google search for how to get from Palm Beach County to Mexico; 12 pairs of gloves; a Hawaii-issued driver’s license and a passport in Routh’s name. Recent information about Routh suggests he spent time in Ukraine and worked in construction in Hawaii. In social media posts, which often focus on US politics and global events, Routh said he voted for Trump in 2016 but later became disappointed in the president.

The bullet is loaded and ready to fire.

According to prosecutors, Routh’s position overlooked the hole next to the one Trump was playing. While Trump was on the fifth hole, a Secret Service agent was checking the area around the sixth hole, driving a golf cart along the fence that separates the course from the main road outside. While checking the area, the agent spotted the suspect lurking in the bushes outside the fence. From the suspect’s position, he could see straight into the sixth hole on the course. Noticing the suspect’s rifle was pointed at him, the agent jumped out of the golf cart, drew his weapon, and began to back away.

The gun recovered at the scene in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: US Department of Justice

When the agent saw the rifle barrel move, he fired at the suspect and quickly hid behind a tree to reload. When he looked back, the suspect was gone. The agent radioed that he had fired at a suspect with a rifle. Prosecutors said Routh’s rifle had a scope and an extended magazine, which allowed it to hold more bullets. The gun was loaded with 11 rounds, with one round cocked and ready to fire.

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