‘Part of a conspiracy?’ Investigators focus in on would-be assassin of Donald Trump

An officer involved in Ryan Routh’s arrest for ‘weapons of mass destruction’ reveals the would-be assassin’s ‘paranoia’, as investigators question whether he’s ‘part of a conspiracy’.

The suspect who authorities believe attempted to assassinate Donald Trump thought he was “above the law”, according to an officer involved in more than 100 run-ins with the “paranoid” gunman.

Retired police officer Eric Raseke, who interacted with Mr Routh when he lived in North Carolina between the 1980s and 2010, said there should have been a “red flag” because of his “flagrant, above-the-law mentality, the fact that he felt like he could do anything”.

It comes as investigators are “laser-focused” on whether Mr Routh was part of a larger conspiracy to assassinate Mr Trump.

“Routh’s attitude was that he was above everybody. He could do what he wanted,” Mr Rasecke, an Air Force veteran, told Fox News Digital.

“It didn’t matter. He was pretty entitled … He ran his mouth quite a bit about how he could get off and how he owned a successful business and nobody could do anything to him and he knew everybody in Greensboro.”

Ryan W. Routh, suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, appears in federal court. Picture: Reuters

Mr Rasecke first met the suspect when he pulled him over for a traffic violation in the late 1990s, when Mr Routh ran a successful company with 90 employees, United Roofing in Greensboro.

He said it was not uncommon to cite Mr Routh “many times a week” for violations, and never tried to hide an expired license and registration.

Over the years it became clear that he was using drugs as his physical appearance deteriorated and his “paranoia” increased. He began thinking the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was sending police after him.

“As years went by, you could see a change in him,” Mr Rasecke said, adding that the minor traffic violations escalated into a hit-and-run, a stolen vehicle, stolen goods, and felony possession of an illegal firearm.

Ryan Routh Cont 3

“And eventually the weapon of mass destruction charges,” Mr Rasecke said, referencing the possession of ”binary explosive with a 10-in[ch] detonation cord and a blasting cap.” 

After being pulled over in December 2002, Mr Routh barricaded himself in his business for three hours with a semiautomatic rifle before surrendering after a three-hour standoff.

“Negotiators came in. Special teams were activated, and after a couple of hours of negotiations, he surrendered himself,” Mr Rasceke remembered.

“Because of his flagrant, above-the-law mentality, the fact that he felt like he could do anything, the city was after him because of his problems, the police were always picking on him, the drugs could warp … his mind, the issue of him barricading himself inside the business … should have put a red flag on his name.”

INVESTIGATORS ‘LASER-FOCUS’ ON TRUMP PLOT

The Sheriff who captured Ryan Routh says law enforcement is “laser-focused” on whether the would-be sniper is part of a larger conspiracy to assassinate former president Donald Trump.

The “ominous” pivot in the investigation comes as new details emerge over Mr Routh’s long criminal record, from writing bad checks and possession of stolen vehicles to multiple counts of ”possession of a weapon of mass destruction”.

Sheriff William D Snyder said Mr Routh’s lack of a local connection to Martin County has raised “bigger questions” over whether he was just a “lone gunman”.

“How does a guy not from here get all the way to Mar-a-Lago to Trump International, realise that the former president of the United States is golfing, and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity,” he said.

“I think that’s the question the FBI, the Secret Service are laser-focused on today. Is this guy part of a conspiracy, is he a lone gunman?”

Mr Snyder, who met with Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago after successfully apprehending Mr Routh on the I-95, said the former president was “safer” if Mr Routh was acting alone.

“But if he’s part of a conspiracy then this whole thing really takes on a very ominous tone,” he said.

Mr Routh, who was originally from North Carolina, has a police record in Guilford County dating back to the 1980s to 2010.

County arrest records reported by Fox News show charges against Mr Routh included felony possession of a firearm, and possession of a “binary explosive with a 10-in[ch] detonation cord and a blasting cap”, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor has opened a separate investigation into the attempted murder of Mr Trump.

“We have an interest in vindicating the truth about where this guy came from, what his motivations were,” he said in an interview with Fox News.

“I don’t think it’s in the best interests of this country to say that agencies like the FBI and DOJ, which are trying to prosecute Trump in South Florida … that they’re the best people to give us the truth about this defendant.”

US Attorney-General Merrick Garland said that the Department of Justice was co-ordinating with Florida and Martin County law enforcement in its investigation.

“The FBI is continuing to investigate the attempted assassination of the former president that occurred on Sunday in Florida. We are grateful he is safe,” Mr Garland said.

“We will all work together to entirely determine accountability in this matter. We will spare no resource in this investigation.”

Eric Trump, meanwhile, has said that “something is being hidden” and that “this has to stop”.

“This isn’t funny any more. They are trying to kill him,” he told broadcaster Megyn Kelly.

“Now twice in five weeks, as we approach 50 days away from election day, they’ve tried to kill him. And they will stop at absolutely nothing. They are trying to kill him and it’s deeply scary.”

Originally published as ‘Part of a conspiracy?’ Investigators focus in on would-be assassin of Donald Trump