Who is the man reportedly being held in the ‘assassination attempt’ on Trump? | Donald Trump

The suspect in the latest assassination attempt on Donald Trump was arrested Sunday night without weapons. He left his assault rifle on the golf course and then fled.

The man in custody was Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

The suspect’s identity had not been officially confirmed as of Sunday night, but he has been named by several other mainstream media outlets, which also cited anonymous sources. The Guardian also spoke to Routh’s son, Oran Routh, who said he had not spoken to his father since the incident.

Although the suspect, from his vantage point on the golf course, was much farther from the former president than the man who shot Trump in an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania in July, police found a scope on the gun and items left near the fence as the man fled, putting Trump well within range.

Routh was described in several reports as a construction worker who had previously worked in North Carolina. He was a staunch opponent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and had tried to recruit overseas volunteers to fight for Ukraine. Oran Routh said his father had done volunteer work in Ukraine.

According to Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, the suspect showed little emotion when police stopped him as he drove away from the scene and subsequently arrested him.

The suspect was pursued after he ran toward a car and was seen by a bystander who was able to capture the vehicle’s registration and provide it to police, police said at a news conference earlier Sunday.