Recruiting with an American Flag Scarf: What Do We Know About the Main Suspect in the Attempted Murder of Trump?

In the early months of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, Ryan Wesley Roth became a familiar face in Kyiv; a man who would stop passersby on a famous street, asking them in English to join the Ukrainian army and exchanging phone numbers with them. Christian Lutz, a German director of an organization called 'Simorgh', says that foreign volunteers traveling to Kyiv viewed Ryan as a recruitment officer for the Ukrainian army. Christian, who has seen him several times, says everyone referred to Ryan as 'the recruiter with an American flag scarf'. According to Christian Lutz, 'Ryan had no friends or collaborators and apparently worked alone.' Two years after those days, Ryan, now 58, is the main suspect in the attempted murder of the former President of the United States and a candidate in the upcoming election. Ryan Roth was arrested by police on Sunday, September 16, after Secret Service agents saw him apparently aiming a rifle at Donald Trump on a golf course. During the arrest, police found a scoped rifle similar to an 'AK-47', two backpacks, and a video camera at Ryan's hiding place among the grass. Although no evidence has yet emerged linking Ryan Roth's efforts in Ukraine to the recent incident in Florida, his arrest has shocked those who encountered him in Ukraine and remember his sometimes strange but seemingly sincere attempts to garner support for the Ukrainian army. Some of the most well-known volunteer units in the Ukraine war quickly distanced themselves from him and even issued statements denying any connection to Ryan Roth. This includes the 'International Legion', composed of foreign volunteers, which published a statement on Telegram rejecting not only membership but any connection to Ryan Roth in response to 'rumors in some media'. Two years ago, Ryan Roth participated in a demonstration in Kyiv in support of the 'Azov Regiment', a controversial military unit that is highly respected among many Ukrainians for the combat capabilities of its members. Members of this regiment, after a long resistance against the siege of Russian army forces in Mariupol, eventually surrendered, and many were taken captive. In the following weeks, families of the regiment members launched a public campaign and held various events and demonstrations demanding the release of their loved ones. In a video from one of these events, Ryan Roth is seen wearing a blue vest with the American flag. In this video, he also holds a placard that reads: 'We cannot tolerate evil and corruption for more than fifty years. For the sake of our children, we must finish Russia's work.' Ryan is also seen in another video published on a social media account linked to the families of Azov regiment members. However, the situation has changed now. On Tuesday, September 26, this group published a statement on social media saying: 'We would like to officially announce that Ryan Wesley Roth has no connection with Azov and has never had one. The peaceful demonstration he participated in was a public event for everyone, and anyone could attend it. The video of his presence was also recorded and published by chance.' Christian Lutz, who is now in Germany, told Radio Free Europe that during his first trip to Kyiv in July two years ago, he saw Ryan Roth. He describes Ryan as 'very sociable, extroverted, and extremely focused on his goal of attracting foreigners to the Ukrainian army.' Christian Lutz recalls once driving around Kyiv with Ryan and a Ukrainian soldier. Ryan had said he was looking for a suitable place to build a drone production workshop. According to Lutz, after a while, that soldier became worried about Ryan's strange behavior and had to remove him from his social networks because, as he said, 'Ryan was suffocating him with continuous messages.' Ryan's active and public presence in Ukraine had also attracted media attention, including a brief interview with him published by 'Newsweek' in its Romanian edition. In that interview, he stated that the war in Ukraine is 'completely black and white. The battle of good against evil.' Before starting his travels to Ukraine and trying to garner support for the army, Ryan Roth mostly lived like a wandering worker, including a period as a roofer in the town of Ginsboro, North Carolina. According to a report from the local Ginsboro newspaper, Roth was arrested in 2002 after he had barricaded himself in a building with an automatic weapon. Apparently, he later moved to Hawaii. Ryan Roth's accounts on social media platforms X and Facebook have been shut down since Tuesday, September 26, but his previous posts are a mixture of rhetoric and interest in U.S. domestic politics and the war in Ukraine. He apparently voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election but distanced himself from him and his positions afterward. In a series of posts he made last year on X, he claimed to be recruiting soldiers from Afghanistan who were ready to serve in Taiwan or Haiti. Last April, he also posted two photos of himself on the professional networking site 'LinkedIn', one in front of the U.S. Congress in Washington and the other in Independence Square in Kyiv, writing: 'Looking for soldiers to recruit for war in Washington and Kyiv.' Ryan Roth also wrote a book titled 'The Unwinnable War of Ukraine', which was published on Amazon. In a detailed introduction he wrote for this book on the Amazon site, he excitedly explains why he believes defending Ukraine is important. In part of this introduction, he writes: 'I think it is necessary to explain clearly that while Ukraine cannot win this war under current conditions, its victory is essential for the whole world. The importance of this book lies in helping all of us understand that failure in this war is unacceptable and what we must do to win.' Oran, Ryan Roth's eldest son, describes him as 'a responsible and loving father and a decent and hardworking man.' Speaking to CNN, he said he does not know exactly what happened in Florida and only hopes that the news has been exaggerated; because 'what we have heard bears no resemblance to my father's calm character and behavior.' Ryan Wesley Roth appeared in Palm Beach court on Tuesday, September 26, on charges of carrying a firearm. He was not charged with attempting to kill Donald Trump; however, the FBI has confirmed that it is continuing its investigation into the incident on Sunday under the title 'attempted murder.' The U.S. Secret Service has confirmed that Ryan Roth did not fire a shot and did not have a direct line of sight to Donald Trump. A hearing is scheduled for next Monday to decide on the continuation of his detention. Prosecutors have argued that he poses a danger to the community and may flee if his detention is not extended.