Ryan Routh, a suspected assassin who allegedly targeted former President Donald Trump, had been flagged by U.S. federal agents after returning from Ukraine last year, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) failed to take any action.
Routh, who was accused of plotting an assassination attempt on Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club, had previously been involved in recruiting foreign fighters to assist Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The DHS’s lack of follow-up raises concerns about missed opportunities to prevent this alleged assassination attempt.
Routh was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in June 2023 when he landed at Honolulu International Airport.
During an interview, Routh revealed that he had spent three months in Ukraine recruiting soldiers from countries like Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan to fight in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
He had previously traveled to Poland and Turkey in 2022 and 2023. Despite these revelations, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division of the DHS declined to pursue the case.
“Subject is a USC who had traveled to Kiev, Ukraine for 3 months to help recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova, and Taiwan,” the CBP notes read. “Subject stated that he does not get paid for his recruiting efforts and all his work for the Ukrainian government is strictly volunteer work.”
Routh provided the CBP agents with a business card identifying himself as the director of an organization called the “International Volunteer Center.”
The business card listed his recruiting partners across various countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Israel.
Despite the evidence provided during the interview, HSI opted not to follow up on the information, and the case was left unresolved.
Routh’s foreign travel and connections to Ukraine were not the first time he had raised concerns with law enforcement. In 2019, he was under suspicion by the FBI for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri.
However, no significant action was taken at that time either.
Read the full article at RVM News
