Man Charged with Attempted Assassination Had Set a Reward for Killing Donald Trump Months Ago

U.S. prosecutors say a man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at the former president's golf course in Florida had outlined his 'assassination attempt' in a letter months prior and had set a reward for killing Mr. Trump. Ryan Roth, 58, who allegedly aimed a semi-automatic rifle at Donald Trump from the trees surrounding the West Palm golf course on September 16, has been charged with two counts related to firearm possession and carrying. Documents presented to the court, revealed on Monday, indicate that Mr. Roth has not yet begun negotiations with prosecutors regarding a plea deal or potential sentence reduction. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday afternoon local time, and prosecutors will request that the judge keep Mr. Roth in jail until his trial begins. The prosecution states that several months before this incident, Ryan Roth had set a reward for killing Donald Trump in a handwritten letter addressed to 'the world.' In part of this letter, he wrote: 'This was an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, but I failed. I will give $150,000 to anyone who can accomplish this.' What do we know about the main suspect in the 'assassination attempt' on Trump? The prosecution said an unidentified civilian witness turned over a box containing this letter, some ammunition, a metal pipe, and four phones to the authorities. According to the prosecution, when Ryan Roth was arrested on September 16, a handwritten list of locations where Donald Trump had been or was scheduled to be present in August, September, and October was discovered in his vehicle. Analysis of Ryan Roth's mobile phone signals shows that he had been in the vicinity of the West Palm golf course, where the assassination attempt occurred, as well as Mr. Trump's residence in Florida. The prosecution has charged Mr. Roth with illegal firearm possession as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number. He may face additional charges. According to prosecution documents, on the day of the incident, a Secret Service agent fired at Ryan Roth upon seeing the rifle barrel, and he fled the scene in an SUV. He was arrested hours later on a Florida highway. He had managed to get within a few hundred feet of where Donald Trump was playing golf. However, investigations by the authorities concluded that he did not have a direct line of sight to the former president and did not fire a shot. The FBI has stated that it is investigating the incident as an attempted assassination of Donald Trump, but no authorities have yet disclosed the motive for this action. About two months prior to this incident, Donald Trump was shot at during a campaign event in Pennsylvania, injuring his ear. Secret Service agents shot the assailant dead. Ryan Roth, a low-income construction contractor who had recently lived in Hawaii, has a criminal record. He has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine and stated in one of his interviews that he is trying to recruit Afghans to fight against Russia. In a book he published in 2023, he claims that since Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA, Iran is 'free' to assassinate him.