The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed Monday that it had received a tip in 2019 about a man who allegedly tried to shoot and kill former President Donald Trump.
FBI Revealed Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri of the Miami FBI Field Office announced at a press conference that the FBI began investigating the case after receiving a tip in 2019 that Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, a convicted felon, was in possession of a firearm. The tip surfaced while Routh was in Hawaii, but the charges were not substantiated after the accuser denied the initial tip and the FBI subsequently communicated its findings to local police in Honolulu.
“I will also tell you that he was reported to the FBI in 2019 and was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm,” Veltri said, “and following that charge, the individual who was charged was interviewed but did not confirm, I repeat, did not confirm, that initial tip.”
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Veltri provided information about Routh's extensive criminal history and confirmed that he has been charged in the past.
“The Federal Attorney stated that the suspect was indicted and convicted in North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Law enforcement investigation also revealed that the suspect was charged with numerous felony theft offenses from 1997 through 2010,” the special agent said. (Related: Dana Bash claims second assassin's 'anti-Trump posts' have 'nothing to do with Kamala Harris or Joe Biden')
The U.S. Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Sunday they were investigating the shooting near Trump's residence, according to Steven Chung, Trump's communications director. Confirmed On Sunday afternoon on his Twitter account, X, the former president posted that he had “heard gunfire nearby but is safe.”
Authorities on Monday released body camera footage of the arrest of Routh, who was detained on Sunday on suspicion of assassinating President Trump. Secret Service agents evacuated Trump from the venue after noticing that Routh was carrying a semi-automatic rifle less than 500 yards from the venue.
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