Florida will launch criminal investigation into alleged Trump assassination attempt, says Governor DeSantis

Florida law enforcement will launch a criminal investigation obvious attempted murder Former President Donald Trump is in the crosshairs, Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday.

The investigation at state level is carried out in parallel with the investigation at federal level. Ryan Wesley Routhwho was charged with gun violations on Monday. DeSantis said Florida prosecutors would seek the most serious charges under state law, including attempted murder.

“We have a very strong interest in bringing this suspect to justice,” DeSantis told reporters.

The federal investigation into the incident at Trump's West Palm Beach golf course is still in its early stages. Additional and more serious charges are possible as Justice Department prosecutors seek a grand jury indictment.

The FBI has interviewed family members, friends and co-workers of the suspect and is working to gather evidence. A motive has not been disclosed, and Routh invoked his right to an attorney during his questioning, authorities said.

Routh's lawyer declined to comment after Routh appeared briefly in federal court on Monday, when a judge ordered him to remain in custody because prosecutors argued he was a flight risk. A federal judge scheduled further hearings for later this month.

Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday after authorities spotted a gun sticking out of bushes on the golf course where Trump was playing. Routh camped outside the golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours, ambushing the former president until a Secret Service agent thwarted the would-be attack and opened fire.

Routh did not fire any shots, never had Trump in his sights and sped away after the agent who spotted him fired in his direction, officials said. He was arrested in a neighboring county.

The latest assassination attempt came just weeks after the July 13 shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump was grazed by a gunman's bullet, and heightened fears that violence will continue to shape American presidential politics.

Federal investigators are currently examining Routh's extensive online presence, which suggests that his political views were constantly evolving – including, more recently, an apparent disdain for Trump – and that he was extremely outraged by global events involving China and, in particular, Ukraine.

“You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote of Iran in a book apparently self-published in 2023 entitled “Ukraine's Unwinnable War.” In it, he called the former president a “fool” and a “buffoon” for both the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, and the “enormous mistake” of withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal.