The suspect behind the second Trump assassination attempt in Florida appears to have stalked Mar-a-Lago and the former president’s golf course in West Palm Beach for weeks and may have been planning a getaway to Mexico, a judge and federal prosecutors have revealed.
The developments come as Ryan Routh – who has been charged federally with possessing a gun with a scratched-out number and with possessing a gun illegally as a felon – was ordered by a federal judge on Monday to remain in custody.
"Talk about a flight risk, I mean this guy he makes a great case on what a flight risk is," Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, who is on the bipartisan task force investigating the first Trump assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, told Fox News.
A document released by the Justice Department before Routh appeared in court yesterday said one of the cell phones found in his vehicle during his arrest on Sept. 15 "contained a Google search of how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico."
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"The FBI obtained cell site records for two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra. The two cell phones are serviced by different carriers that utilize different cell towers," the document continued.
It said regarding one of the phones, "On multiple days and times from August 18, 2024, to September 15, 2024, ROUTH’s cell phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International [Golf Club] and the former President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago."
"The agents also found 12 pairs of gloves; a Hawaii Driver’s License in the Defendant’s name; a passport in the Defendant’s name," the document added.
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Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe, who ultimately granted the government’s request to detain Routh pending the resolution of the charges against him, said during Monday’s hearing that it appeared Routh was stalking Trump for 30 days.
Federal prosecutors told the judge that the government intends to ask a grand jury to indict Routh on the much more serious charge of the attempted assassination of Trump, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Justice Department on Monday also released a letter written by Routh months prior to the assassination attempt.
"I certainly hope that this letter wasn’t a bat call to the lunatics in our nation to follow his lead," Joyce said in reaction to the letter. "You have people like the last two people who we’ve seen in these attempted assassinations and God forbid there be more out there so you really wouldn't want them to be doing that."
Fox News’ Jake Gibson, David Spunt and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
