What you should know about the defendant

Ryan Routh, 58, was charged with federal weapons offenses

A man has been charged with firearms violations in what authorities believe is an attempted murder of former President Donald Trump.

Trump was unharmed after several shots were fired near him while playing golf at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, September 15.

According to Associated Press The New York Timesand CNN, authorities identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58.

All media reported that Routh was charged in federal court with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He has not yet pleaded guilty.

During a news conference on Sunday, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a Secret Service agent “attacked” a man who pointed an AK-style scope at him from the bushes. The man, who did not fire a shot, fled the scene but was later arrested.

The FBI said the incident “appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.”

Related: Donald Trump 'safe' after 'multiple' shots fired near his Florida golf course

Routh was reportedly an ardent supporter of Ukraine even after the Russian invasion in 2022.

The Just reported that Routh posted on his X account (formerly Twitter) that he was “ready to fly to Krakow and go to the border of Ukraine” and fight for the country, and that he also expressed his willingness to die.

Routh was interviewed by the Just in 2023 for a story about Americans volunteering to fight in Ukraine. He told the newspaper he traveled to the country after the invasion and wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers.

The times reported that Routh shared a Facebook message he received from an American foreign fighter who he said had spoken to him in a condescending manner. In response, Routh told the newspaper that the fighter “needed to be shot.”

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According to North Carolina criminal records, Routh is a convicted felon. In 2002, Routh was convicted of possession of a weapon of mass destruction. A report of the incident from the News & Recordreported that Routh barricaded himself inside a business with a fully automatic weapon during a three-hour standoff with police. The AP reported that Routh owned the roofing business where he barricaded himself.

Routh's son Oran told CNN in a text message that his father was “loving and caring.”

“I don't know what happened in Florida, and I hope things were just blown out of proportion, because from what little I've heard, it doesn't sound like the man I know would do anything crazy, let alone violent,” he told the outlet.

The AP reported that Routh spent most of his life in North Carolina before moving to Hawaii in 2018.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Routh owns a construction company in Hawaii.

Citing Routh's now-suspended X-account, CNN reported that Routh had implied that he voted for Trump in 2016.

According to federal campaign donation records, Routh has made several donations to ActBlue, a Democratic-affiliated fundraiser, since 2019.

The apparent assassination attempt is the second time in recent months that Trump has been the target of attacks, according to authorities. In July, a man was shot and killed by the Secret Service after firing several shots at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, killing one person. Trump's ear was injured in the incident, but he was otherwise unharmed.

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