The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course may have had inside information on his movements, according to a former FBI official. Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director, told Newsweek that investigators will need to determine how Ryan Wesley Routh knew Trump’s exact whereabouts during the incident.

Shots were fired at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, where Trump, the leading candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, was golfing. No injuries were reported, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The FBI has since joined the investigation into the shooting, with Swecker describing Routh as a “wingnut” with a deep disdain for authority. “The biggest question to answer is: ‘How did the would-be assassin know to be at that location at that time?’” Swecker said. “There are only three possible answers: He guessed and got very lucky; he conducted surveillance on Trump and followed him to the golf course; or he had inside information about Trump’s schedule. The last answer is scary and has implications that another person was involved.”

The West Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference that a U.S. Secret Service agent noticed a rifle barrel sticking out of the fence surrounding the golf course and quickly “engaged” with the suspect. Law enforcement officials stated that the gunman may have gotten as close as 300 yards to Trump before being apprehended.

Swecker, who retired from the FBI in 2006 and now practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, commented on the broader context of the attack, suggesting that the heightened rhetoric around Trump may be influencing unstable individuals. “There is little doubt that the demonization of Trump is resonating with the fringe elements who are mentally unstable and highly impressionable, so it may be time to tone it down a bit,” he said.

Routh, whose background is described as erratic, had reportedly been involved in “strange quests,” including attempting to recruit Afghan fighters to join Ukraine in its fight against Russia. “We know this suspect has posted about Trump being a danger to democracy, and he has been active on some strange quests: visiting Ukraine to round up Afghan fighters. So motive is coming into focus—he is a wingnut who dislikes authority, based on his arrest record for resisting arrest in a two-hour standoff,” Swecker added.

That incident refers to a 2002 arrest where Routh was stopped by police for driving without a valid license. He fled the scene, barricading himself inside his roofing company for three hours before surrendering. He was later charged with carrying a concealed weapon, resisting an officer, and driving without a valid license.

Swecker further noted that Routh appeared to have been influenced by claims that Trump was an existential threat to democracy, allegedly deciding to take matters into his own hands.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)