Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old suspect in the alleged failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, had a history of erratic behavior that raised concerns among Americans who encountered him in Ukraine. Routh was arrested on Sunday while lurking near Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, with a rifle.
Routh’s past was marked by numerous red flags, including a self-published book that called for the assassination of Donald Trump and a conviction for possessing a firearm modified for fully automatic fire. He was also known to have traveled to Ukraine to offer his services as a foreign recruit for the Ukrainian military, and later to recruit others after his offer was declined.
Chelsea Walsh, a nurse who met Routh in Kyiv”, described him as “among the most dangerous Americans she met during her month-and-a-half-long stint in Ukraine.” Walsh was so alarmed by Routh’s behavior that she warned Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about him when she returned to the United States. She provided CBP with a notebook detailing over a dozen foreigners who exhibited disturbing behavior in Ukraine, with Routh at the top of the list for “predatory behavior.”
Sarah Adams, a former CIA officer, said Routh developed a reputation among aid groups as a “fraudster” and “whack job.” Routh frequently claimed to be recruiting foreign fighters as an agent of the Ukrainian government, when he was not. He was also known to have falsely claimed to have persuaded the Ukrainian military to accept U.S.-trained Afghan soldiers to fight for the Ukrainians.
Aid groups began blacklisting Routh and reporting him to the State Department. Adams herself warned humanitarian organizations in Ukraine to stay away from him and claimed the State Department was worried about Routh perpetrating human trafficking and/or immigration fraud.
Later in 2023, Walsh filed reports with the FBI and Interpol because she learned Routh was once again presenting himself as a recruiter for the Ukrainian foreign legion, this time trying to recruit Syrian refugees. He also falsely claimed to have Iraqis lined up and ready to fight.
Ukrainian International Legion officials grew increasingly frustrated with Routh’s antics, snapping at him in a November 2022 message, “No recruitment from Syria or Iraq! I told you this before! Those countries are banned and for good reason.” Routh’s response was: “How about Afghanistan???”
Routh’s exchanges with Ukrainian officials grew more surly and sarcastic as they continued to reject his offers of assistance. Despite his claims, a number of Afghan soldiers did try to volunteer for the Ukrainian foreign legion, including some with impressive military credentials. However, the Ukrainians were reluctant to accept them due to concerns about spies and saboteurs.
Routh’s claims of being a recruiter for the Ukrainian military were also disputed by the International Volunteer Center in Ukraine (IVC), which stated that Routh was not a member or leader of the organization. The IVC said it had never “collaborated or communicated with him in any way.”
Routh’s antics were also highlighted in a New York Times article in June 2023, where he was quoted as a self-professed recruiter of international fighters. Routh told the NYT he was working tirelessly to get Afghan soldiers into the Ukrainian foreign legion.
Thomas Gibbons-Neff, the author of the Times article, reflected on his year-old encounter with Routh on Tuesday. Gibbons-Neff said Routh sounded “ridiculous” at the time, with grandiose plans for “buying off corrupt officials, forging passports and doing whatever it took to get his Afghan cadre to Ukraine,” but he was filled with so much conviction that he was taken seriously.
Evelyn Aschenbrenner, a former American member of the administrative staff for the Ukrainian military, said she was not surprised to see Routh turning up at Donald Trump’s golf course with a rifle in his hand.
“There’s a streak of zealotry in him. I knew he was not firing with all pistons,” she said. Aschenbrenner recalled telling foreign soldiers who were legitimately seeking to volunteer for Ukraine to stay away from Routh and block and ignore him.
