Ryan Routh allegedly planned to use the weapon to kill the then-presidential candidate
A pro-Ukraine activist sought to acquire an anti-tank grenade launcher and a Stinger anti-aircraft missile to kill Donald Trump during the US president’s ultimately-successful campaign, a recently published court document claims.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested in September after US Secret Service agents found him with a rifle on the perimeter of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Court documents show that he also considered other options involving much heavier weapons.
A motion filed by the US Justice Department with the Florida Southern District Court claims that, in August 2024, the suspect reached out to an “associate Routh believed to be a Ukrainian with access to military weapons.” The document was published by investigative journalist, Ken Silva, on the Scribd platform this week.
A convicted felon, Routh had unsuccessfully attempted to join the Ukrainian military in 2022. He afterwards embarked on a scheme to recruit former Afghan commandos to fight for Kiev in the conflict with Russia.
Routh allegedly openly told his unidentified associate via an encrypted messaging app that he wanted to kill Trump, who was still a presidential candidate at the time, the document said.
The suspect also repeatedly stated that Trump’s election would be “not good for Ukraine.” He also reportedly urged his Ukrainian contact to “send [him] an RPG or a Stinger.” An RPG is a Russian shoulder-fired anti-tank grenade launcher, commonly known in the post-Soviet countries.
“I need the equipment so that Trump don’t [sic] get elected,” Routh wrote in one of the messages. The suspect also allegedly told his contact that it should not be a problem to get him what he needs since “you are at war and those items [get] lost and destroyed daily – one missing would not be noticed.”
According to the document, Routh was never able to get his hands on either a grenade launcher or a Stinger. He is now expected to face trial in September 2025. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
