The person accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, has been linked to a weird internet of pro-Ukraine activism and a historical past of erratic conduct.
Routh, who was apprehended in West Palm Beach with a scoped AK-47 earlier than the Secret Service intervened, had beforehand expressed an obsessive fixation on Ukraine and even performed interviews boasting of his dedication to die for his or her trigger.
In a now-deleted X (previously Twitter) put up directed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Routh declared his intentions: “I’m an American coming to struggle with you in Ukraine; I’m flying into Krakow and can take any transport to Kyiv to satisfy you and struggle to the dying. We should get each civilian on this planet to come back and be part of the struggle; I would be the instance. Assault Moscow now.”
This troubling rhetoric is simply the tip of the iceberg within the unusual case of Routh. A resurfaced interview performed by Newsweek Romania in 2022 showcases his fanatical dedication to help Ukraine in any respect prices.
Routh, hailing from North Carolina however residing in Hawaii, said, “My preliminary purpose was to come back and struggle. I consider everybody across the globe needs to be motivated to come back right here and help the Ukrainians, no matter gender or age. Everybody ought to help the military.”
“However I’m 56 with no navy expertise, so that they instructed me I wasn’t a super candidate for fight. So, plan B was to come back to Kyiv and promote getting extra individuals right here. We’d like hundreds of individuals combating with the Ukrainians. With 190 international locations world wide, we want hundreds from every. If governments received’t ship their navy, civilians want to choose up the torch.
“We’ve received some great individuals right here, nevertheless it’s a small fraction of what it needs to be. With solely 5,000 to 10,000 individuals combating, that’s minuscule in comparison with the 5 billion individuals on the planet. We’d like everybody right here combating,” he added.
However Routh’s weird ties go even additional. Within the interview, he admitted he labored for the Worldwide Legion.
A New York Times editorial printed in 2022, titled “Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker,” included Routh’s title in connection to a controversial community of overseas fighters becoming a member of Ukraine’s battle effort, known as the Worldwide Legion.
The article prompt that Routh had allegedly tried to funnel recruits into Ukraine illegally, shifting them from international locations like Pakistan and Iran—a sign of Routh’s deep involvement with worldwide paramilitary exercise.
Based on an excerpt from the New York Instances:
“With Legion progress stalling, Ryan Routh, a former development employee from Greensboro, N.C., is in search of recruits from amongst Afghan troopers who fled the Taliban. Mr. Routh, who spent a number of months in Ukraine final yr, stated he deliberate to maneuver them, in some circumstances illegally, from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine. He stated dozens had expressed curiosity.
“We will most likely buy some passports by means of Pakistan, because it’s such a corrupt nation,” he stated in an interview from Washington.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: A video has resurfaced of Ryan Routh advocating for America to become involved in Ukraine
He was seemingly radicalized by Democrats consistently calling Trump Putin’s puppet
pic.twitter.com/e3ZP7NNKJn— George (@BehizyTweets) September 15, 2024
In one other resurfaced video, Routh stated he prompt bringing Afghan troopers to Ukraine.
“I’m speaking to over 100 troopers day-after-day. Just about everyone, together with all of my contacts in Ukraine, was adamant. They stunning a lot yelled at me each time that I prompt that we usher in Afghans.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: New Background On Trump Shooter Confirms He Was Coordinating With Overseas Troopers In Help Of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/TsRclPWW7t
— Chief Trumpster (@ChiefTrumpster) September 15, 2024
In a now-deleted Fb account, Routh additionally wrote:
“Troopers, please don’t name me. We’re nonetheless making an attempt to get Ukraine to just accept Afghan troopers and hope to have some solutions within the coming months. In case you are fascinated about combating in Ukraine, you should have a passport and ship it to me by the use of Whatsapp to 18084648342. It’s essential to even have the cash to buy an airplane ticket to Moldova, in case you can’t afford the fee you can’t go. We’re additionally making an attempt to get Taiwan to just accept troopers hopefully within the coming years. Please have endurance. Ryan”
Well-liked YouTuber JiDion additionally dropped a bombshell video revealing that Ryan Routh was caught on digital camera making an attempt to recruit individuals for a revolution geared toward “taking this complete system down.”
Within the footage, Routh may be heard saying, “I’m in search of revolutionaries,” earlier than trying handy JiDion a chunk of paper, urging him to affix his military to “take this complete system down.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: Well-liked YouTuber JiDion simply launched a video displaying that Ryan Routh was in his video making an attempt to recruit individuals to struggle for a revolution to “take this complete system down.”
Routh: “I’m in search of revolutionaries.” Then he tried handing JiDion, a chunk of paper to affix… pic.twitter.com/f8eMLpfnFS
— George (@BehizyTweets) September 15, 2024