Trump suspect left note outlining plan to kill him, prosecutors say

A suspected gunman arrested near Donald Trump’s golf-course wrote a note months earlier saying he intended to kill the former president, a court filing shows.

“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” the note says.

In documents filed on Monday, prosecutors said the letter was dropped off at the home of a witness several months before the 15 September incident in Florida.

Ryan Routh, 58, is expected to appear at a federal court later on Monday and could face further charges.

He is so far facing two federal gun crime charges.

The pre-written letter, addressed to “The World”, appears to pre-empt a failed assassination attempt. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” it reads.

Routh, who told a judge during his first court appearance last week that he had no funds and no savings, then says in the letter that he would pay a cash reward to anyone “who can complete the job”.

A box containing the letter – as well as ammunition, building materials, tools and four phones – were dropped off at the home of the unnamed witness before the incident, according to the court documents filed by prosecutors.

The documents were filed in support of Routh’s continued pre-trial detention.

In the filing, prosecutors state that the unnamed witness, whose relation to Routh is unclear, opened the box after learning of the apparent assassination attempt.

Routh has been held in jail since his arrest on 15 September.

A Secret Service agent spotted his face in foliage while securing the sixth hole of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach before noticing a rifle, prosecutors say.

The agent then jumped out of his golf cart, drew his gun and fired after seeing Routh allegedly move his gun, the court filing says. Routh did not fire his gun at any point during the incident, police have said.

The suspect managed to flee and left the weapon and some other items at the scene. He was arrested shortly afterwards after a witness spotted him on the Interstate 95, a major highway.

Court documents indicate he had 11 rounds of ammunition, one of which was chambered in the rifle.

Investigators also found a handwritten list in his vehicle of dates where Trump had public appearances scheduled between August and October.

Phone records show that Routh had been in the vicinity of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for nearly a month between 18 August and 15 September.

Routh is originally from North Carolina and spent much of his life there, although he most recently lived in Hawaii. He has had numerous legal issues in the past, including multiple charges for stolen goods between 1997 and 2010.

In 2022, Routh went to Ukraine in a failed bid to recruit foreign soldiers for Ukraine’s military following the country’s invasion by Russian forces.

The American reportedly contacted the legion on a regular basis with ideas described by one Ukrainian soldier as “nonsensical” and “delusional”.

The suspect had also admitted to being turned down himself, claiming it was down to his age and lack of fighting experience.

Monday’s hearing is set to determine whether he should remain in custody. Prosecutors say he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.

Routh also has an arraignment hearing scheduled for 30 September, where is he is expected to either plead guilty or not guilty to the charges.