US media identified the arrested individual as 58-year-old Routh after Secret Service agents reportedly “opened fire on a gunman” near the perimeter of Trump’s Florida golf course. The former president was on the course when the suspect, armed with an AK-47-style rifle, emerged from hiding in nearby shrubbery and fled in a black car. Authorities later tracked him down and arrested him.
According to CNN and CBS, Routh is a self-employed affordable housing builder from Hawaii with a criminal record stretching back decades. He frequently posted about politics and current events, at times criticizing Trump, the leading Republican candidate.
One of Routh’s publicly expressed causes was supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. AFP interviewed him in Kyiv in April 2022, where he participated in a protest for Ukrainians trapped in Mariupol. “Putin is a terrorist, and he needs to be stopped. We need everyone around the world to come here now,” Routh told AFP during the demonstration.
The U.S. has been a key ally of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. President Joe Biden’s administration has backed Ukraine firmly, and his Vice President, Kamala Harris, has signaled her intention to continue this policy if elected next year. In contrast, Trump, during a recent debate, avoided directly answering whether he wanted Kyiv to win the war.