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Man suspected of apparent assassination attempt against Trump left letter detailing his plans, prosecutors say

Prosecutors say Ryan Routh was near Trump's golf course and Mar-a-Lago across multiple days

A federal prosecutor says that Ryan Routh traveled to West Palm Beach "for one reason and one reason only, and that was to kill the former president of the United States."

Ryan Wesley Routh sketch for federal court hearing held Sept. 23, 2024.

By: Holmes Lybrand, CNN and Dave Bohman, WPTV

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The man who authorities say sat with a rifle in the trees where Donald Trump was golfing earlier this month near West Palm Beach previously wrote a letter stating "this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump," according to a new filing by federal prosecutors.

Shortly after the filing, a federal magistrate judge ordered Ryan Wesley Routh to remain detained pending further proceedings. The judge cited that Routh "represents a flight risk and a danger to the community" and "stalked former President Donald Trump for 30 days in an apparent attempt to assassinate him."

A witness told investigators that Routh had dropped off a box at his home months before, which “contained ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various letters." After learning of the apparent assassination attempt, the witness opened the box, according to the filing.

One letter, addressed to "The World" said: "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job."

The gun was recovered from the scene in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump "ended relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled," the letter says.

Routh, 58, was charged with two firearm offenses last week after allegedly fleeing the Trump International Golf Course. A grand jury will convene to hear more serious charges of attempting to assassinate a public figure, which carries a life sentence.

"I find that the weight of the evidence against the defendant is strong," Judge Ryon McCabe said at the end of the nearly three-hour hearing Monday.

The judge cited the letter Routh allegedly wrote about the assassination attempt as well as other evidence prosecutors presented, including that agents found a fingerprint belonging to Routh on tape used to attach a scope to the rifle found outside the golf course.

Prosecutors say a Secret Service agent fired at Routh after spotting a rifle poking out of the tree line several holes ahead of where Trump was golfing on Sept. 15, and that Routh was spotted by a witness running away from the scene and driving off.

The complaint against Routh says cellphone data shows he may have been lying in wait for nearly 12 hours at the golf course. He was arrested after law enforcement spotted his car driving on a nearby highway.

'This was an easy shot'

During the hearing, prosecutor Mark Dispoto said that Routh had traveled to West Palm Beach "for one reason and one reason only, and that was to kill the former president of the United States."

Routh had a "clear line of fire" from his "sniper's nest" from the chain link fence bordering the Trump International Golf Club, Dispoto said.

The prosecutor added that Trump was 12 to 15 minutes away from arriving at the 6th hole, where Routh had a clear shot just 100 feet away.

"This was an easy shot," Dispoto said.

The setup from Routh's position, which included bags hung on the fence with armored plates inside that were able to withstand shots from the pistols Secret Service agents carry, was "nothing short of a sniper position," Dispoto said. "Something you might see in a movie or a war zone."

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Defense attorneys for Routh argued that the crude way a scope was attached to the rifle – with tape – indicated the work of an "unsophisticated" and unknowledgeable individual.

When defense attorney Renee Sihvola took issue with prosecutors suggesting the setup was something out of war when the tape indicated "it's frankly not," the judge questioned whether she was trying to argue that "if he's an assassin, he's not a very good one?"

"I'm not interested in his level of skill" to "carry out these acts," the judge later added.

Had list of Trump locations; searched for how to get to Mexico

Prosecutors say Routh was in the area of Trump's golf course and the former president's Mar-a-Lago residence across multiple days in the month before he was arrested and had a Google search of how to travel from Florida to Mexico in one of his phones.

Routh also had a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump has or was expected to appear in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.

Prosecutors wrote that Routh had traveled to West Palm Beach from North Carolina on Aug. 14. Cellphone data shows him near Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence and the golf course "multiple days and times" between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, the day he was arrested, prosecutors say.

While searching Routh's car, agents found six cellphones, one of which included "a Google search of how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico."

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"The agents also found 12 pairs of gloves; a Hawaii Driver's License in the Defendant’s name; a passport in the Defendant’s name," the filing says.

Routh’s recent background included a stint in Ukraine, where he unsuccessfully tried to be recruited to fight Russia, as well as time in Hawaii working in construction.

In online posts, frequently focused on U.S. politics and global events, Routh said he voted for Trump in 2016 but that the president had become a disappointment, adding that "I will be glad when you gone."

Routh, in a self-published book, also told the country of Iran: "You are free to assassinate Trump."

Spotted 'directly in line' with 6th hole

Routh's position "was directly in line with" the very next hole from where Trump was golfing, the court filing states.

While Trump was on the 5th hole, a Secret Service agent was clearing the area of the 6th hole, riding a golf cart along the fence, which drew a boundary between the course and a major road on the other side.

When clearing the area, "the Agent spotted the partially obscured face of a man in the brush along the fence line," prosecutors wrote.

The man’s position "was directly in line with the 6th hole green," according to the filing.

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After spotting the man and realizing his rifle was pointed at the agent, prosecutors say “the Agent jumped out of the golf cart, drew his weapon, and began backing away.”

Then, when the Secret Service agent saw the barrel of the rifle move, the agent fired at the man and then moved behind a tree to reload his gun, according to the filing. When the agent looked back, the man, later identified by authorities as Routh, was gone.

"The Agent called out over his radio that shots had been fired by the Agent and that there was a subject with a rifle," prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say Routh's rifle had a scope attached, as well as an extended magazine, allowing the gun to hold more ammunition. The rifle was loaded with 11 bullets with one in the chamber, ready to fire, according to the court filing.

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