The man who authorities say pointed a rifle with a scope into former US President Donald Trump’s golf club and was arrested on Sunday is Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
Secret Service agents shot at the suspect, who was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of what the FBI is calling an apparent attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee.
Authorities are working to determine a motive.
AP reported that Routh was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, citing online North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records.
While the records do not provide details about the case, a News & Record story from 2002 said a man with the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police.
Routh was reportedly charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon of mass destruction, “referring to a fully automatic machine gun.”
More details about the shooter were reported by The New York Post, which said Routh’s LinkedIn profile shows that he attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, but relocated to Hawaii sometime around 2018.
Routh is described on LinkedIn as “mechanically minded” and enjoying “ideas and invention and creative projects with artistic flair.”
The suspect is the owner of Camp Box Honolulu, a shed building company with few positive reviews, according to The New York Post. While Routh hadn’t posted on his X account in a year, he frequently criticized politicians including Trump, current President Joe Biden, and celebrities like Bruno Mars.
In addition, he made anti-Israel posts on social media, including last December when he wrote that all of Israel is “historically Palestinian”.
The FBI said earlier on Sunday it was investigating "what appears to be an attempted assassination" of Trump.
Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said an AK-47 with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera were recovered in the bushes near the golf course.
Bradshaw added that Trump was "probably between" 300-500 yards away from where the armed suspect was spotted.
Trump issued a statement in which he said, “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again.”
The White House stated: “The President and Vice President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team.”