Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly attempted to buy a rocket-propelled grenade launcher from a source in Ukraine just one month before he was arrested for trying to assassinate President Trump, according to a Justice Department court filing.
Prosecutors claim Routh, 58, was communicating through an encrypted app with someone he believed had access to military-grade weapons. In messages cited in the Southern District of Florida filing, Routh allegedly said, “Send me an rpg or stinger and I will see what we can do… [Trump] is not good for Ukraine.”
“I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected,” Routh reportedly added. The government says the exchange, which involved discussion of price and shipping for anti-aircraft weaponry, demonstrates Routh’s intent to kill Trump. He also allegedly sent an image of Trump’s campaign plane to the contact and wrote, “Trump’s plane, he gets on and off daily.” Referring to the failed July 2024 shooting, Routh wrote: “I wish.”
Routh is currently facing trial for the alleged assassination attempt, and his defense team is working to have a key eyewitness excluded from proceedings.
On September 14, 2024, a witness identified as T.C.M. told police he saw a disheveled man flee from the bushes near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course and speed off in a black Nissan after hearing gunshots. He photographed the car, recorded its plate, and gave a description that helped lead to Ryan Routh’s arrest about an hour later.
Routh’s attorneys argue the ID should be barred, claiming police used a “suggestive” method by showing T.C.M. a single photo of Routh after his detention, risking “irreparable misidentification.” They also note Routh’s vehicle has no sunroof, contradicting the witness account. Trial begins September 8, 2025.
