A US jury on Tuesday found Ryan Wesley Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump in a planned sniper attack at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2024, when he was still a presidential candidate.
According to evidence presented at trial, US Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano, who was patrolling one hole ahead of Trump at the golf course, spotted Routh pointing an AK-style rifle at him from a sniper’s hide in a fence abutting the course. Fercano opened fire, and Routh fled.
Law enforcement officers later recovered a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, a magazine containing 19 additional rounds, steel armour plates, and a camera aimed at the sixth-hole green, where Routh had been hiding, the US Department of Justice said.
A witness reported seeing Routh running from the course and entering a black Nissan Xterra. Based on that description, he was stopped heading northbound on I-95 by Martin County Sheriff’s deputies, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
A search of the vehicle uncovered multiple mobile phones, a list of outbound flights on 15th September 2024 – the day of the attack – and directions to Miami International Airport. Mobile phone records showed Routh had repeatedly accessed towers near Trump International and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in the weeks before the incident.
At trial, a witness also testified that Routh had previously dropped off a box containing a letter at his residence. In the note, addressed “Dear World,” Routh wrote: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”
Routh was convicted of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, which carries a maximum life sentence; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, also carrying a maximum life sentence; assaulting a federal officer, punishable by up to 20 years; felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, carrying up to 15 years; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, carrying up to five years. A federal judge will determine the sentence.
The FBI led the investigation, with support from the Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, and Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Trump comments on the development
Trump, reacting on Truth Social, welcomed the verdict and called Routh “an evil man with an evil intention.” He thanked the judge, jury, Secret Service and local law enforcement, as well as a witness who helped track the suspect. “What incredible instinct and foresight this person had — a very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” Trump wrote.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said: “This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation itself. I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones, his trial team, and our law enforcement partners for protecting President Trump and securing this important verdict.”
The incident was the second attempt on Trump’s life in 2024. In July, a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one person and injuring several others, including Trump, before being shot dead by security.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X: “Proud of the FBI and our partners for working together to deliver justice against Ryan Routh, the individual who attempted to assassinate President Trump.”
