A man charged with two gun-related crimes on Monday (Sept 16) was suspected of hiding under cover of darkness for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course, say US law enforcement authorities.
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NewsTranscript
00:00We're here to announce that Ryan Wesley Routh, 58 years old, of Hawaii, has been charged
00:10by a criminal complaint in the Southern District of Florida with firearms offenses related
00:16to an incident which occurred yesterday at Trump International Golf Course right here
00:21in West Palm Beach.
00:22Routh was charged federally with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession
00:27and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
00:31The FBI is leading this ongoing investigation.
00:34As the Attorney General stated earlier today, the FBI is continuing its investigation of
00:39this incident as an assassination attempt upon the former president.
00:44Yesterday afternoon, this country was reminded of the heightened and dynamic threat environment
00:51the United States Secret Service and its protectees face on a daily basis.
00:55At approximately 1.30 p.m., former President Trump was playing golf during an off-the-record
01:00movement to the Trump International Golf Course.
01:03A Secret Service advance agent supporting the front edge of the agency's layered approach
01:08to protection encountered an individual attempting to secrete himself in the wood line.
01:14This happened.
01:15The alleged gunman was on the public side of the fence near the sixth screen.
01:21A layered approach of security is integral to the Secret Service's protective methodologies,
01:26and it's also the key to our success.
01:28As former President Trump was moving through the fifth fairway across the course and out
01:33of sight of the sixth screen, the agent who was visually sweeping the area of the sixth
01:37screen saw the subject armed with what he perceived to be a rifle and immediately discharged
01:43his firearm.
01:45The subject, who did not have line of sight to the former president, fled the scene.
01:50He did not fire or get off any shots at our agent.
01:55With reports of gunfire, the former president's close protection detail immediately evacuated
01:59the president to a safe location.
02:01The protective methodologies of the Secret Service were effective yesterday.
02:06The former president's protective apparatus allowed for the early identification of the
02:10threat and led to a safe evacuation.
02:13The increased assets directed by President Biden were in place yesterday.
02:17These included the counter-sniper team elements, counter-surveillance agents on the exterior,
02:23counter-assault teams partnered with local tactical assets from the Palm Beach County
02:26Sheriff's Office, and counter-unmanned aerial system elements.
02:30Cellular data shows that the subject was in the vicinity of the golf course roughly 12
02:35hours before the engagement with the United States Secret Service.
02:40Our investigative teams conducted a neighborhood canvas in an effort to collect and obtain
02:45relevant video footage.
02:47The subject had an active online presence, and we are going through what he posted and
02:53any searches he conducted online.
02:56In addition, we're going through media reports and public statements he made that he wanted
03:01to recruit Afghan soldiers and others to fight for Ukraine.
03:06By way of his background, in 2002, as the United States Attorney mentioned, the subject
03:11was charged and convicted in North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
03:16Law enforcement checks also revealed that from 1997 to 2010, the subject had numerous
03:22felony charges for stolen goods.
03:25He was the subject of a previously closed 2019 tip to the FBI, where it was alleged
03:33he was a felon in possession of a firearm.
03:36In following up on the tip, the alleged complainant was interviewed and did not verify, I repeat,
03:44did not verify providing the initial information.
03:48The FBI passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu.
03:52The president called me last night, President Trump.
03:55He thanked me for everything that we did along with the Secret Service.
03:59He knows we work great together, and he feels safe.
04:04That's important because he is.
04:06And what we did yesterday proves that the system can work because the suspect didn't
04:14even get close to getting a round off, and we apprehended him and brought him to justice.
04:20So we're very, very proud of that.
04:23Thank you folks for being here.
04:24I appreciate it.