The shadow of attacks and violence once again stretches over theUS elections.
Secret Service, FBI and police forces foiled what was described as a possible 'assassination attempt' on Donald Trump in extremis. The incident ended without casualties, with the former president and Republican standard-bearer in the White House unharmed.
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But it immediately inflamed the campaign: Trump accused the Democrats of using 'rhetoric' against him that provokes attacks. While controversy erupted over the Secret Service's ability to guarantee the security of candidates.
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Under arrest, with the federal investigation ongoing, ended up 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who was indicted earlier in the evening for two offences related to illegal possession of weapons.
He would be the man discovered by agents on Sunday 14 September pointing a semi-automatic rifle from the bushes near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in Florida, where the former president was playing a short distance from his Mar-a-Lago residence. The Secret Service opened fire and scared away the would-be bomber, who was then stopped in his car 60 kilometres further north.
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Ryan Routh did not fire shots at either the tycoon or the Secret Service agents. And he acted alone. This was said by Ronald Rowe, the agency's acting director, at a press conference in Florida. Routh had written a self-published book on Amazon in which he told readers that they were 'free to kill' the tycoon, who is described as a 'madman', 'idiot' and 'buffoon'. Accompanying the rambling and delusional 291-page text, entitled Ukraine's unwinnable war, are stark images of soldiers and civilians from conflicts around the world. The prose reads like that of an expert on world events rather than a contractor with a criminal record.
Chi e' Ryan Routh, l'uomo che voleva sparare a Trump
The profile of Routh - who was reportedly lurking for 12 hours waiting for Trump - suggests the isolated gesture of an unstable man, ready for irrational acts and with dreams of immolating himself for Ukraine. Although this does not diminish the seriousness of the crisis: Rafael Barros of the Secret Service described the 'threat level' in the current climate as 'high'.
The reflections on a tough and uncertain political confrontation were not long in coming. Trump sent volleys of messages. Some to reassure: 'I want you to know I'm OK'. Others to mobilise: 'Nothing will hold me back. I will never give up." Not enough: 'I am even more determined.... There are people in the world who will do anything to stop us'. Finally on Fox Digital, instead of calling for unity in the country against violence, he denounced rival Democrats for their 'inflammatory language' that would motivate gestures such as Routh's. Elon Musk, on X posted and then deleted real conspiracy theses: 'No one is trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala'.
The White House's response was sobering: Kamala Harris, vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate against Trump, said she was 'deeply troubled' by the events, reiterated that 'political violence has no place in the United States' and expressed relief at Trump's safety. President Joe Biden stated that 'Trump thank God is OK' and added that the Secret Service 'needs reinforcements and Congress must act'. The president said he had called Trump but had not spoken to him because he "wasn't available. I'll try again later," the president said.
Among the immediate consequences of the potential attack are new criticisms of the Service that protects presidents and candidates. It has already taken a turn for the worse following the previous attack on Trump, when less than two months ago, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a young sniper with an obscure motive escaped surveillance, wounding the former president and killing a bystander. This time he intervened in time, thanks to an advance officer who noticed the gun barrel, but the fact remains that a gunman came within perhaps 300 metres of Trump. At stake now are candidate protection systems reserved for sitting presidents.
There could also be an impact on future campaign programmes, in homage to greater caution that could harness the final sprint to the polls in November. Among the measures being studied by Trump's entourage would also include tightening of communications of movements, for fear of moles spreading them in advance.
The bomber, a disturbed man
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From early reconstructions, the man who has once again shocked the electoral race has a history full of alarm bells. In 2022 Routh on X had said he wanted to become 'a volunteer to fight and die' in Ukraine. He had unsuccessfully tried to enlist, lacking military experience and advanced in years.
Kiev distanced itself from his claims: 'He has never served in the International Legion' nor had 'any relationship' with us. Interviewed by the New York Times in 2023 for an article on American civilians who wanted to help Ukraine, he had recounted fanciful plans to recruit former Afghan soldiers. His son said he hated Trump. Over the years, he had repeatedly exhibited high-risk behaviour, moving from North Carolina, where he repaired roofs, to Hawaii. In 2002 he had been arrested twice for possession of particularly lethal weapons, including a machine gun with which he had barricaded himself in a warehouse.
In the Florida bushes, a few hundred yards from Trump, he left an Ak47-type rifle with telescopic sight, two backpacks with bulletproof plates and a GoPro camera to film his exploits. "With that weapon and scope such a distance is certainly not prohibitive," said Ric Bradshaw, Palm Beach sheriff.
