Trump apparent assassination attempt updates: Routh charged with gun crimes

This live page is now closed.

To learn what we know so far about the apparent attempt on former US President Donald Trump’s life on Sunday, you can read our explainer on the suspect here.

You can also read our coverage of how the thwarted assassination attempt might impact the US presidential race here.

We’ll be closing this live page shortly. The main developments today include:

• The suspect in the apparent assassination attempt against former US President Donald Trump, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, has been charged with federal gun crimes. The FBI says that he has numerous previous felony charges, and was also the subject of a 2019 tip concerning his possession of firearms.
• The Secret Service confirmed that Routh did not fire any shots at Trump, and that the Republican presidential candidate was not in his line of sight. He was, however, near the golf course for 12 hours before he was spotted by the Secret Service.
• Routh’s former home in Greensboro, North Carolina has been searched, and authorities have requested search warrants to access a video recording device, mobile phones, a vehicle and electronics at his previous addresses.
• President Joe Biden has backed the Secret Service, and said that there was “no place for political violence” in the US. Trump has blamed US President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s “rhetoric” for the attack.

Secret Service Director Director Ronald Rowe Jr says that the agency is understaffed and needs additional funding to hire more personnel.

“The men and women of the Secret Service now, we are redlining them. And they are rising to this moment, and they are meeting the challenges right now,” he said.

The Secret Service says that the suspect did not fire any shots at Trump or the Secret Service officer who fired at him.

“The subject, who did not have line of sight to the former president, fled the scene. He did not fire or get off any shots at our agent,” US Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr told reporters.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said that the suspect was the subject of a tip to the agency in 2019, revolving around his possession of firearms.

“It was alleged he was a felon in possession of a firearm,” Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri said. “Following up on the tip, the alleged complainant was interviewed and did not verify, I repeat, did not verify, providing the initial information. The FBI passed that information to local law enforcement in Honolulu.”

Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has promised that steps are being taken to ensure Trump’s safety following the alleged attempt on his life.

“The security level at Mar-a-Lago is the highest it can possibly be now,” said Bradshaw, noting that road closures and checkpoints have been put in place near Trump’s residence, and that the Secret Service will receive all the resources it needs.

The press conference will bring together officials from the US Justice Department, the FBI, the US Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sherriff’s Office, where they’ll be providing updates on the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt.

We’ll bring you details from the press conference as soon as it begins.

The Reuters news agency has reported that Donald Trump’s schedule for the days ahead will remain unchanged following the apparent attempt on his life.

Citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter, the agency reports that he will host a town hall in the state of Michigan on Tuesday, a rally in New York on Wednesday, and an unveiling of a new cryptocurrency venture on Monday evening.

The Secret Service has told the news outlet Reuters that it is “aware” of a social media post by billionaire Elon Musk joking that “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala”.

“The Secret Service is aware of the social media post made by Elon Musk and as a matter of practice, we do not comment on matters involving protective intelligence,” a spokesperson told Reuters via email. “We can say, however, that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to our protectees.”

Here’s a recap of some of the latest developments:

• Mobile phone records show that the suspect in the apparent assassination effort was near the golf course for nearly 12 hours before he was confronted by Secret Service agents.
• President Joe Biden expressed support for the Secret Service in remarks, stating that there must be “zero” place for political violence in the United States.
• A White House spokesperson slammed right-wing billionaire Elon Musk for an “irresponsible” social media post in which he joked that “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala”.

Former Secret Service agent Anthony Cangelosi has told the Associated Press that former President Donald Trump requires additional protection services.

“They could have been utilised to secure the perimeter,” he said of the assassination effort on Sunday.

“He’s not your typical former president,” he added of Trump, noting that he is both a former president and a nominee hoping to return to the White House.

Speaking at the National HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia, President Joe Biden commended the Secret Service – which has come under criticism from some quarters – for “the expert handling of the situation”.

“[There is] No place for political violence in America. None. Zero. Never,” Biden said.

“In America, we resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box, not at the end of a gun,” he added. “America has suffered too many times the tragedy of an assassin’s bullet. It solves nothing and just tears the country apart. We must do everything we can to prevent it, and not give it any oxygen.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who mounted an unsuccessful challenge against Trump in the Republican Party’s presidential primary, has said that the state will conduct its own investigation into the apparent assassination attempt.

“I understand that the feds [federal law enforcement] are involved but we do believe that there were multiple violations of state law. We also believe that there’s a need to make sure that the truth about all this comes out in a way, you know, that’s credible,” DeSantis said in a news conference.

The White House has responded to a since-deleted social media post by right-wing billionaire Elon Musk in which he joked that “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala”.

“Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement. “This rhetoric is irresponsible.”

Musk deleted the post after a backlash.

In another social media post, Musk said that “incitement to hatred and violence against President Trump by the media and leading Democrats needs to stop”.

Cellphone records show that the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Trump was near the golf course for about 12 hours before being confronted by a Secret Service agent, according to unsealed court documents.

Officials said in the documents that Routh‘s cellphone was shown near tree line at Trump’s golf course from 1:59am until 1:31 pm (05:59 until 17:31 GMT) on Sunday.

A Secret Service agent shot at Routh after seeing his rifle through the tree line. Routh fled in an SUV before being arrested by local law enforcement in a neighbouring county.