Alleged would-be Trump assassin expected back in court

September 23, 2024

Law enforcement officials work at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 16, 2024, following Sunday's attempted assassination on former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged on Monday with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number at his initial court appearance. -- Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) -- The man arrested for allegedly trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course is expected to appear before a judge Monday.

Ryan Wesley Routh was ordered to appear in a West Palm Beach federal court for a pre-detention hearing. Routh, 58, has already been charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number for the Sept. 15 incident that took place at Trump International Golf Club.

Trump was playing golf on the course when a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel poking out from the tree line near the sixth green, according to investigators.

The agent then fired in the direction of the rifle and saw Routh fleeing the area and entering his Nissan vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.

Routh was allegedly 300 to 500 yards away from the former president and did not fire any shot, according to investigators. Trump was not in Routh's line of sight, according to the Secret Service.

Witnesses reported the license plate number to authorities, and the suspect was stopped and detained.

In the area of the tree line where the suspect was seen, agents found a digital camera, two bags, including a backpack, and a loaded SKS-style 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope, according to the complaint. The serial number on the rifle "was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye," the complaint states.

Routh did not enter a plea for his initial charges and his arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 30.

The investigation is ongoing and the FBI has been going through Routh's social media and criminal history and speaking with family members to get more clues.

Routh suggested Iran should feel "free to assassinate Trump" and himself in a self-published book from February 2023.

In the book, which ABC News has unearthed following Sunday’s incident, Routh directed an apology toward Iran, apparently for his previous support for Trump, who withdrew the U.S. in 2018 from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran.

The suspect was also a booster of a number of causes, including the war in Ukraine, an ABC News analysis of his apparent social media profiles shows.

As authorities try to unravel the motive and details of the case, sources said investigators were looking at whether Routh was frustrated with Trump's position on Ukraine.