A 58-year-old man, Ryan Wesley Routh, was detained on Sunday in connection with an alleged assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump in Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh, a self-employed builder from Hawaii, had previously criticised Trump on social media and expressed disappointment with the former president after initially supporting him in 2016
Authorities suspect Routh was planning to target Trump during a round of golf.
On an X (formerly Twitter) account linked to him, Routh made several critical comments about Trump, including posts about a July assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Routh’s social media activity also revealed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
In one post, he urged Kamala Harris to visit victims of a rally attack, writing, “You and Biden should visit the injured people in the hospital... Trump will never do anything for them.”
Additionally, Routh has shown strong support for Ukraine.
In 2022, he posted about being willing to fight and die in the war against Russia and encouraged Afghan soldiers to join the Ukrainian effort.
Routh’s past includes legal troubles in North Carolina, dating back to the 1990s, involving unpaid taxes and other minor offences.
His son, Oran, described him as a caring father and expressed disbelief at the recent events, hoping the situation had been exaggerated.
Earlier this year, former US President Donald Trump narrowly survived anothe assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
A gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired multiple shots at Trump from an elevated position during a campaign rally.
One person was killed, and another was injured in the attack.
Donald Trump, who was grazed by a bullet on his right ear, shared his ordeal on social media, praising the U.S. Secret Service for their swift response.
The attempt on Donald Trump’s life underscores the growing political tensions in the United States as the 2024 election campaign gains momentum.
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