Mon Sep 16 15:17:17 UTC 2024: ## Ukraine Denies Any Ties to Man Arrested in Alleged Trump Assassination Attempt
**West Palm Beach, FL** – A man arrested in connection with an alleged assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump has been identified as Ryan Routh, a 58-year-old American citizen with a history of claiming involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. However, Ukrainian officials have categorically denied any affiliation with Routh, calling his claims “delusional.”
Routh was apprehended by Secret Service agents on Sunday after being spotted hiding with a rifle near the golf course where Trump was playing in West Palm Beach, Florida. Authorities are still investigating whether Routh fired his weapon, an AK-47, during the incident.
Routh’s online presence reveals a history of expressing support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia. He visited Ukraine in 2022 and portrayed himself as a Ukrainian military official, even attempting to recruit Afghans via Facebook to fight in the war.
Despite Routh’s public pronouncements, a Ukrainian foreign legion representative confirmed that he never served in the war or held any government position. Oleksandr Shaguri, an officer of the Foreigners Coordination Department of the Land Forces Command, stated that Routh’s offers of large numbers of recruits were “not realistic” and that the Ukrainian military never responded to his claims.
Ukraine’s International Legion further emphasized that Routh “has never served in the International Legion and has no relation to the unit.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed relief that Trump was unharmed in the plot, noting that the “suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly.”
Routh’s motivations remain unclear. While he claimed in a 2020 social media post that he had voted for Trump in 2016, he allegedly became critical of the former president in recent years and had donated $100 to ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform, in 2020.
This is the second alleged assassination attempt against Trump. The first occurred in July when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks shot at the president during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service is now facing increased scrutiny for failing to prevent both incidents.
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