Court documents have revealed that Ryan Wesley Routh attempted to acquire a rocket launcher from Ukraine just weeks prior to his arrest for allegedly trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his golf resort in Florida.
According to federal prosecutors in a motion filed Monday, the 58-year-old suspect sought to purchase military-grade weaponry from a person he thought was a Ukrainian contact with access to such arms.
In a conversation conducted over an encrypted messaging platform, Routh allegedly said, “send me an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] or Stinger and I will see what we can do… [Trump] is not good for Ukraine.”
At a later point in the exchange, Routh reportedly asked how much the weapon would cost and whether it could be delivered directly to him, writing, “ship it to me????”
He then added, “I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected,” according to the prosecutors’ filing.
Routh appeared to recognize the difficulty of purchasing a rocket launcher through legal channels, allegedly stating, “Going to the local store for such an item is impossible – however you are at war so those items lost and destroyed daily – one missing would not be noticed.”
Court records state that he also sent his contact a photograph of Trump’s aircraft with the caption, “he gets on and off daily.”
Prosecutors claim the message trail clearly shows Routh’s intention to assassinate Trump.
Authorities say Routh was caught on September 15 after a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of his SKS semiautomatic rifle poking out from the bushes near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
Before he could fire, Routh allegedly dropped his weapon and sped off in an SUV, leaving behind the rifle, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera, according to court documents.
Law enforcement officers caught up with him roughly 40 minutes later on Interstate 95 in Martin County, Florida, where he was taken into custody.
Inside his vehicle, agents discovered what they described as a stockpile of incriminating material, including handwritten notes referencing plans to fight for Ukraine, the filings state.
Routh’s defense team is currently petitioning the court to exclude certain pieces of evidence, including testimony from a witness, from being presented during his upcoming trial.
{Matzav.com}