Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, had been interviewed by mainstream media several times in the past.
In one of those interviews, Routh told the New York Times that he was looking for "recruits from among Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban." Routh allegedly spent several months in Ukraine and planned to transport his recruits from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine.
He also said that dozens of people contacted him and that he was planning to "purchase some passports through Pakistan," which he said was "a corrupt country."
Despite his dubious claims, one current and another former American volunteer serving with the Armed Forces of Ukraine's International Legion, composed mostly of foreign volunteers, said they remembered Routh and believed that he spent time in the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
In 2023, Routh was blocked from a "Volunteers for Ukraine" chat group on Signal. He was eventually blacklisted after reportedly acting "delusional," promising to bring foreign volunteers to the country even though he had no military background.
In another interview with Taiwan News in 2022, Routh was featured for posting the Taiwanese flag in Kyiv to "honor Taiwanese soldiers in Ukraine." He even claimed that if China protested against the display, he would "order another 1,000 flags."
While in Kyiv, Routh said he would stay and continue to encourage more people to "fight against Russia."
Who is Ryan Routh?
Public records have revealed that Routh, 58, is from Greensboro, North Carolina. Other reports suggest that he now resides in Hawaii, and was, or still is, part owner of a small construction company.
Routh was charged with two gun-related crimes in a federal court in Florida on Sept. 15, one day after he was seen hiding in shrubbery with a rifle on the property line of Trump's golf course. More charges are expected, but officials have not cited any possible motives.
He suggested in his 2023 self-published book that he voted for Trump in 2016. However, he also wrote that supporting Trump was a "terrible mistake."
Routh described Trump as a "buffoon," a "fool" and an "idiot" several times in his book. He also wrote that Iran is "free to assassinate Trump" because of the latter's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
According to court records, Routh has a long history of breaking traffic laws, not paying his taxes on time and writing bad checks. In 2002, he lost his right to own a gun when he pleaded guilty to a felony in North Carolina for possessing an illegal explosive device in April of that year.
Court records and a 2002 news article by the Greensboro News & Record revealed that several months after his arrest in that case while released on a bond, Routh ran from a traffic stop by a police officer near his home in Greensboro. He then barricaded himself inside his roofing business for several hours before police were able to arrest him for having a concealed handgun without a permit.
Several days after the incident, he pleaded guilty to possession of what court records described as a "binary explosive with a 10-inch detonation cord and a blasting cap." According to the county district attorney's office and the Guilford County Superior Court clerk's office, North Carolina law classifies the item as "a weapon of mass destruction" and it is a felony punishable by up to 59 months in prison.
Routh was sentenced to probation.
In 2011, Routh pleaded guilty to felonies when he was charged with possession of stolen goods. According to the district attorney's office, he had stolen a blowtorch, pull-cart and a power cord.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it received a tip back in 2019 that Routh was a felon in possession of a firearm, which is prohibited by federal law. However, during an interview with agents, the caller refused to confirm the information. The FBI then relayed the tip to local authorities in Hawaii, where Routh moved in 2018 after living for several decades in North Carolina. (Related: FBI staffer in hot water over posts lamenting Trump's botched assassination.)
According to North Carolina voting records, Routh had no party affiliation and that he did vote in this year's Democratic Party primary.
Watch this clip of Ryan Routh explaining why Ukraine needs support in its war against Russia.
This video is from The Friendly Evangelist channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Arizona sex offender who threatened to kill Donald Trump during his border visit now in custody.
X user: FBI and Secret Service were complicit in Trump assassination attempt.
Would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh buddied-up with neo-Nazi Azov Brigade in Ukraine.
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