A Florida sheriff is raising questions about whether the attempted assassination of Donald Trump is part of a broader conspiracy. The sheriff, William Snyder of Martin County, Fla., noted that the would-be assassin is not a Florida resident and that the former president's movements on Sunday were not broadcast in advance.
"How does a guy from not here get all the way to Trump International, realize that the president, former president of the United States, is golfing, and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity?" Snyder said Monday. The former president’s golf schedule had not been publicly disclosed.
"I think that’s the question the FBI, the Secret Service are laser-focused on today. Is this guy part of a conspiracy? Is he a lone gunman?" Snyder continued. "If he’s part of a conspiracy, then this whole thing really takes on a very ominous tone."
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, allegedly camped at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course with food, a digital camera, and a loaded rifle with a scope for around 12 hours before the Secret Service spotted him, according to cell phone data obtained by authorities.
A Secret Service agent opened fire after noticing the muzzle of a rifle protruding from shrubbery about 400 yards from where Trump was playing. The suspect fled in a vehicle but was apprehended in less than an hour.
The incident follows a similar security lapse two months ago, when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks evaded Secret Service detection for at least 20 minutes and nearly assassinated Trump at a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania.
Routh, charged Monday with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, appeared to smile and laugh at least three times while speaking to his attorney before the hearing began, Fox News reported. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.