Mon Sep 23 15:13:27 UTC 2024: ## Would-Be Trump Assassin Leaves Note Offering $150,000 Bounty

**West Palm Beach, FL** – A man arrested near a Trump-owned golf course in Florida has been identified as a would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump, federal prosecutors revealed Monday. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was apprehended on September 15th after being spotted near the Trump International golf club in West Palm Beach.

According to court documents, Routh left a box containing a handwritten note at an unnamed individual’s residence weeks prior to his alleged assassination attempt. The note, penned by Routh, details his failed attempt to kill Trump and urges others to “finish the job” for a bounty of $150,000.

“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” reads the note, included in the court filing.

The box also contained ammunition, a metal pipe, tools, and several phones. Routh was found in possession of six cell phones at the time of his arrest, including one with a Google search on how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico. His Nissan SUV had false license plates and a list of Trump’s scheduled appearances from August to October.

Routh, a convicted felon, spent the past three years in Ukraine, claiming to be fundraising and recruiting for the war effort. His criminal record was not mentioned in numerous media reports featuring his work in Ukraine.

The rifle found in his hideout at the Trump International golf course was a Soviet-made SKS semi-automatic, loaded with 11 rounds. Its serial number was obliterated.

This incident comes just two months after a separate shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old man fired at least eight shots from a rooftop, injuring Trump and killing one attendee. The shooter, Thomas M. Crooks, was killed by the US Secret Service and his motive remains unknown.

Routh is currently in custody pending trial. The Department of Justice is seeking to keep him detained, citing the note and other evidence as a clear danger to the public.

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